]]> Before you can apply labels to the windows you need to set the label tool up for doors and windows.
With nothing selected open the label tools settings.

Under the Content & Preview Tab, choose the Window Tool option from the list.
Change the label type from Text to Cadimage ID Label

Configure the label settings the way you want them to appear

repeat the Process for the door tool
Once you have done this, click OK.
Go to your Elevation and select all the doors and windows
Open the settings dialog box and go to the listing and labelling tab,
Click on the option to Label windows.

The windows and doors should now show labels configured as per the way you set them up in the previous steps

By default the labels will place to the lowest visible point on the left hand side of the window/door

]]> We have all had situations where we need to calculate Cut and Fill volumes for sloping sites.  Here is a simple technique for doing this is to use Solid Element Operations.

First of all,once you have created your mesh, create a copy of it off to the side.  Use your slabs and footings to create the cuts in the mesh using the Solid Element Operators

Open the Solid Element Operations dialogue box (Design>Solid Element Operations...)select your mesh, then click on the Target Element Button

Select your floor slab and Press the Get Operator Elements Button.

Next change the option under Choose an Operation to Subtraction with Upwards Extrusion

Then Hit Ok

Your site will now show the site Cut.

Create a second slab under your floor slab, (ensure that you make it deep enough to extend all the way to the base of the mesh)

Repeat the process as outlined above, except this time, make your mesh the operator, the slab the Target, and change the Operation type to Subtraction with Downwards Extrusion.

The bottom of the slab will be cut off to match the face of the mesh.

Go to Window>Palettes>Element Information…  In the Palette that pops up, choose the Icon on the right hand side as shown.

This shows the selected elements volume.
Select the copy of your mesh and note down the volume.
Then Select the Mesh you have edited.
Note down the difference in volume and subtract it from the original figure.
This will give you the cut volume.

Select the Slab you edited,

The volume displayed here will tell you how much Fill material you will need to bring onto the site.

]]> There’s a really useful article over on the Graphisoft US blog, about dealing with ArchiCAD Migration

When moving between versions, whether it’s ArchiCAD or another program, we face a few converging issues

Most enterprise software is now on a yearly release schedule. Looking back at the history of ArchiCAD, we’ve gotten a new version every year since the 2006 release of ArchiCAD 10. But that’s just part of the story, look closer at the link. Since the release of Radar CH in 1984, only 1985, 2000, and 2005 haven’t seen either a new release of ArchiCAD or a major numbered update (such as 2003′s ArchiCAD 8.1). So really we could say ArchiCAD has been on a yearly release schedule since the very beginning. We’ve just switched to whole numbers since 2004; no more decimal versions. That all means a four year old version of ArchiCAD is also four releases behind.

Likewise the release cycle for operating systems is also compressing. Between 2001 and 2012 we’ve had Windows XP, Vista, 7, & 8. In the same time we’ve gone from Mac OS X 10.1 to 10.8. While Microsoft isn’t on yearly updates yet, Apple is. So expect OS X 10.9 later this year. What that means is we get compatibility pressure from the operating system side. For Windows users, you’ll want to be aware of these issues. And for Mac Users, check here. Those links will tell you what versions of ArchiCAD are supported on the latest operating systems, and which just flat out won’t work (hint: anything older than ArchiCAD 10 won’t work on Mac OS X 10.7 or newer).

Visit the Graphisoft US Blog for the rest of the article.

]]> How much time do you spend dimensioning your floor plans?  Did you know that like almost every other drawing  process ArchiCAD has the ability to do this for you?

First thing to do is select all of your walls
(select the wall tool in the tool box and then CTRL + A for PC or Command + A for MAC)

Then go to Document>Document Extras>Automatic Dimensioning>Exterior Dimensioning

The following Dialog box will pop up

Leaving the settings as they are shown means that the dimension tool will dimension the width of your window openings, based on the window opening sizes. If you have specified a packing space (Shim Space in Cadimage Doors and Windows), the dimensions will show this I.E. Wallhole size or Rough Framed Opening size.
The dimensions will be laid out as indicated I.E. the overall dimensions, then the External Geometry, then Structural Dimensions and then finally the window sizes

Once you hit OK, you will need to then define the major direction of the building (i.e. is it bigger up or down?) And click to place the inner most dimensions (typically openings).

Note: As per the highlighted field in the image above, you can choose to do each elevation of the building separately or you can choose to do all 4 sides at once

]]> If you have logged a ticket recently with the Cadimage team you may have noticed a follow up email asking you to rate the support you received.

Basically there is two options:

Good, Im Satisfied or Bad, Im Unsatisfied

This is a useful feature as we have always known how efficient we are in providing answers & solutions but never had a grasp at how happy our customers were with our service.
We are trying to ensure that everyone is left satisfied & we can use the information you provide to improve our customer service!

But if you do not want to receive these ‘satisfaction’ emails just let us know & we can unsubscribe you

]]> Do you need to reference in details from different disciplines such as Structural, Mechanical, Electrical, Civil engineers?
Do you want to be able to easily identify whose details are whose?

Use different Marker Heads on your details to clearly identify different disciplines.

Open the Marker Head tab in the detail settings,

Use different shapes to identify the different disciplines
I.E. Round = Arch, Square = Structural, Square = Mechanical etc.

]]> If you are wanting to brush up your elevations for presenting to your clients there are a few simple tricks you can use to contextualise your drawings:

In the above image, I have set the elevation to show Uncut Surafces with Own Material Colours (Shaded) and set to show Sun Shadows 

To create the sky effect, I then created a simple Radial Gradient fill in the background to create the sky effect with the following settings

Once placed I can then stretch the inner and outer radius of the radius effect using by clicking on the circle and using the stretch command from the pet palette as shown until I achieved the desired result

Don’t forget to add some background information such as trees, bushes, peoples, fences etc.  Apart from breaking up the horizon line, they can help identify the human scale of the building.  Just remember to set them with light colored pens and fills so that they do not become the dominant part of the image.

]]> BUDAPEST, May 7, 2013 – GRAPHISOFT® announced today ArchiCAD 17, the latest version of its award-winning building information modeling (BIM) software. The new release delivers capabilities that greatly simplify the modeling and documentation of buildings even when the model contains a high level of detail. ArchiCAD’s end-to-end BIM workflow allows the model to stay live until the very end of the project.

“Many architectural practices use their BIM solutions up to the design and development phase only to switch to 2D for construction documentation,” said László Vértesi, Vice President of Product Development at GRAPHISOFT. “ArchiCAD 17’s brand new Priority Based Connections put a real ROI on the work put into the creation of the BIM model by automatically providing construction documentation level sections and details.”

Priority Based Connections – Structurally Correct Details out of the Box

Priority Based Connections, together with Intelligent Building Materials, automatically provide structurally correct sections and details. Further usability improvements such as Intelligent Element Association to Story Heights and Intelligent Reference Line Handling of Elements make ArchiCAD the best BIM-based construction documentation solution available on the market today.

Industry-first Background Processing – Large/Complex Models to Stay Responsive

To further enhance productivity, ArchiCAD 17 takes the next revolutionary step in multi-core processing to support the creation and manipulation of large complex models with industry-first Background Processing Support for faster generation of complex model details. Optimized Scaling of Multiple-core CPUs boosts performance on large complex models. The software features Improved Central Graphics Unit Performance to make 3D navigation even smoother when working with extra large models.

Extended IFC Model View Definitions – OPEN BIM to Support National Standards

ArchiCAD 17 supports Coordination View 2.0 and expands capabilities for defining new IFC data such as Concept Design BIM 2010 (required by GSA (US), Statsbygg (Norway), Senate Properties (Finland), FM Handover (required by COBie), and others. This includes currency unit export, calendar date type IFC properties and IfcSystems Assignment Support for system type elements such as MEP systems.

BIMobject® Partnership – Boost in Directly Accessible GDL Content for ArchiCAD Users

Integration with BIMobject.com, the world’s No.1 manufacturer-specific content provider, offers direct access to an extensive collection of high quality BIM content by real manufacturers available both in ArchiCAD 17 and on BIMcomponents.com. With this partnership, BIMcomponents.com takes an important step to becoming the central portal for GDL content for ArchiCAD users.

Workflow Improvements – Integrated Design, Visualization and Analysis Workflow

ArchiCAD 17 delivers a wide array of workflow improvements including an Improved MORPH Tool to support conceptual design with useful zoning information and Real-time 3D Cutting Planes to give extra control of ArchiCAD’s 3D modeling environment. Inclusion of fully functional BIMx in every installation enables users to share BIM projects with their clients in the form of interactive BIM project environments; further improved Energy Evaluation supporting multiple thermal zones allows users to evaluate their designs with standard compliant technology.

Note: Please see separate announcement about EcoDesigner STAR™, GRAPHISOFT’s industry first, BIM integrated, LEED compliant energy certification solution for architects and energy experts.

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ArchiCAD 17 will be released on June 1, 2013, with shipment to customers beginning within a few weeks of the official release. Following a tight release schedule, all 26 local versions are planned to reach the market by the end of Q3 2013. For more information about ArchiCAD 17, please visit: http://www.graphisoft.com/archicad/archicad_17/overview/. For a live demonstration of ArchiCAD 17, please register for the upcoming “BIM Lives in the Details” webinar on June 18, 2013.