Hello there, welcome to this video! Let's see all the basic features
and tools you need to see to start with ArchiCAD 20 for the first time!
Leave us comments to improve your next video guides.
When you open the software, a dialog box opens, used to manage your
ArchiCAD projects. Choose Open a Project to open your ArchiCAD projects,
or choose Create a New Project to create a new project from scratch.
At this point, the ArchiCAD workspace opens. This is made by a huge
free space used to preview and work on your drawings; a Toolbox on the
left, that collects the most important design tools; and an Info Box on
top, used to adjust the settings of the tool enabled. All these palettes
can be closed and reopened by going to the Window tab, under Toolbars and
Palettes. In case you have these open in a separate dialog box, just
double-click on them to integrate them on your workspace.
Let's see how to create and build a 2D project. This will lay completely
on the Ground Floor view, the first one on top.
Check out the next video to see how to create and build 3D projects
with ArchiCAD 20!
All the tools used to create 2D projects are inside a subsection called
Document on the Toolbox. Let's see the most important tools.
The Line tool is used to draw straight lines, just fix two points on
your workspace. The Arc/Circle tool draws Arcs and Circles by fixing
two points for the radius, and then a third point to set the arc length.
The Polyline tool draws consecutive straight or curved lines that share
the last node. While you draw, a small dialog box appears, in order
to choose to draw a straight segment or an arc in different ways. To
stop drawing, just click on the last node fixed, or just close the
shape, when the pencil pointer becomes black.
If you ever make a mistake, use the Escape key to undo the drawing in
progress.
To undo the latest action or drawing made, use CTRL+Z.
ArchiCAD shows several guidelines to help you draw correctly. For
example, the latest point fixed is always represented by a bold cross,
and several dashed and dotted guidelines appear from such point,
representing the main perpendicular directions, such as the X axis
(indicating the horizontal direction) and the Y axis (indicating the
vertical one).
ArchiCAD also helps you with a dialog box, showing the Distance from
the latest node fixed, and the Angle from the X axis orientation. These
numbers always use the measurement unit chosen, that you can check by
going to Options, Project Preferences, Working Units...
To set numbers precisely, you can use your keyboard when the dialog
box appears, using the Down and the Up Arrow keys to choose the
property to define, including the position with respect to the X and the
Y axis (indicated as X and Y Coordinate). Use the Enter key to apply.
To add some text, use the Text tool. Text is always contained inside a
Text Box, that you define by fixing its area through two points on your
workspace. After that, you can type it in. Such text will cover just the
available length set by the Text Box, and will spread through its
rows. To adjust the text properties, like font, style and size, select
the text interested in, and use all the options above. Click outside to
apply the text created.
Use your mouse wheel to zoom in and out your workspace to check it better.
The Info Box above, is used to show you how to edit by using the
current tool selected.
For example, if you are using the Line, the Arc or the Polyline tool,
you can change the way to draw under Geometry Method; the line style
under Line Type; the line thickness and color through Pen, and so on. If
you choose the Text tool, you can change all text properties easily.
For the complete list of properties, click on the button under Default
Settings above, on the far left.
When working with objects, ArchiCAD indicates important points on them
with defined symbols. Nodes and vertices are represented through
checkmarks, points on sides through star triangles, and midpoints through
horizontal marks.
Moreover, if you hover on a side for sometime, the selected path will
be highlighted in blue, and will be used as a guideline to draw and fix
other points by using its direction or radius. You can highlight several
guidelines together. To clear all, just use the Escape key.
Let's see how to edit existing objects.
To edit an object, you must select it first with the Arrow tool,
by simply clicking on it. The object will be represented through its
black nodes (or vertices) and its straight or curved sides in green.
Then, if you click on a node or on a path, a dialog box opens, showing
several ways to edit the object, distributed along two rows. On the
second row, you find all the tools that affect the entire object,
whereas, on the first row you will find all the tools available
depending on the node or side you click on.
From the second row, use Drag to move the whole object, Rotate to rotate
it, Mirror to mirror it, and Multiply to create an array of copies from
the same object.
In case you have an Arc or a Circle, you can also use Angular stretch to
adjust the arc length, or Radial stretch to correct its radius.
On the first row, when you select a node, use Move node to move it;
Fillet or Chamfer to regulate the corner angles according to a defined
radius; or Offset all edges to move the object sides by following a
constant distance defined.
Whereas, if you select a path, use Insert new node to add a new vertex;
use Curve edge and Edit segment using tangent to curve the side; use
Offset edge and Offset all edges to edit the object by adding a constant
distance.
Remember to use the Escape key to undo any editing if you need.
To edit Text instead, just double-click on it to open the text dialog
box again.
To edit more objects at the same time, you have to select all of them
together, and then apply the editing tool you like. You can do this in
two ways.
You can fix a selection area with the Arrow tool by fixing two points
on your workspace. This selects all objects that are fully or partially
contained inside such area.
To select objects one-by-one, just click on them with the Arrow tool
while holding Shift down. Use the Escape key to deselect all.
To cut, copy and paste an object, just right-click on it.
Above, on the Standard bar, you have other advanced tools you can use
on 2D objects selected. For example, use the Trim tool to remove parts
of an object that meet other boundaries.
Use the Split tool to cut a selected object in two. First of all, fix
two points to define the direction to follow. Then, your pointer becomes
an eye, in order to select the part you prefer most.
The Adjust tool aligns the endpoints of a side until it meets the line
direction you define.
The Intersect tool is used to join two distinct objects by extending
their endpoints.
The Resize tool is used to size a selected object correctly, try it!
Let's now see other very useful tools inside the Toolbox!
The Fill tool is used to add filling to closed 2D paths on your
workspace. If you fix two points, you will simply create a rectangle
completely filled. Whereas, if you already have 2D contours to fill, just
hold Space down, and click inside. The filling will spread until it
meets its first boundaries.
The filling is an independent object on its own, that you can edit by
using its nodes and sides and the editing tools just seen. Above, on
the Info Box, you can change its appearance settings, like the kind of
pattern under Fill Pattern; the pattern colors through Fill Pen; the
contour style on Outline Type; and the outline color through Contour Pen.
You can also import pictures and images. Enable the Drawing tool and
click on your workspace. Then browse for your picture, and this will
be imported on your workspace. The picture will be contained inside a
virtual contour that can be edited as seen for 2D objects, in order to
crop the picture contours as you like. To size the image instead, use
the Stretch tool, by clicking on one of the image corners.
Once your project is finished, save it! Just go to File and then to
Save As... ArchiCAD projects are saved in a .pln format, in order to
open them in the future if you need to edit them later. But you can also
choose a .dwg file format to use your projects in other software (like
AutoCAD), or render or print your drawings by using a .pdf or an image
format, adjusting their page and document settings above.
Thanks for watching this video! Check out our next one to show you how to
use ArchiCAD for 3D projects!