2020 | 023 – Conceptual Design – Start Simple Then Add Detail (Part 2)

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ARCHICAD Training Lesson Outline

Conceptual Design - Start Simple Then Add Detail (Part 2)

We'll look at three examples of this methodology in this lesson.

Develop Walls and Roofs from Concept to A Detailed Model

NOTE: Model taken from Jared Banks Shoegnome Open Template

We start the conceptual model with simple walls and roofs made of a single generic exterior building material.

We develop the model further by selecting and changing the walls to a composite.

The simple roof system (a single multi-plane roof) is duplicated then modified to create 3 separate roofs. One is the structural, insulated roof within the building footprint; one defines the structural elements in the overhang section outside the walls; one defines the top sheathing and shingles or tiles that run on top of both of these lower roofs.


Tim Ball's Approach: Start With a Complex Profile then Redefine It

In this approach, the walls are drawn from the beginning as a complex profile, which can be as simple as a rectangular wall section made of a single building material.

Later, one redefines that profile to add more detail; all walls that use that profile will update.

One can do this in any of several methods:

  1. In Profile editor, draw in more detail using Fills
  2. Copy and paste the fills from another Profile into the active one, edit as needed
  3. Copy and paste a Profile from another project, then use the approach in step 2

One can also use Attribute Manager to import a profile from another project, then either use step 2 or the following quick method to overwrite the original, active profile:

  • Open Attribute Manager from the Options menu, then open the Complex Profile tab
  • Click the Import button on the top of the right hand side, then browse and select a project PLN or PLA, a template file TPL, or an AAT attribute file
  • Select and highlight the desired profile from the list of available profiles on the right hand side
  • Use the Append button* to add this profile to the end of the list
  • Click the X to close the file on the right-hand side; it will now be an empty list
  • Select the new profile at the bottom of the left hand side, and use the Append button to add it to the empty list
  • Edit the name of the profile on the right side to match the active profile, leave it selected
  • Use the By Name button to overwrite the active profile

*NOTE: If the profile in the external file has the same name as active one that you want to overwrite you may use By Name instead of Append, and skip the rest of these steps.


Hotlinked Modules - Start with a Simple Design, Develop and Update

This approach is ideal for unit plans for apartments, multi-family housing, hotels, condos, offices, etc.

As soon as you have a context for the unit (such as the walls separating the units), place in a few elements then select them and use the File menu > External Contents > Save Selection as Module.

Create the new Hotlinked Module (HLM) but do not check the box to replace the elements with an instance of the module. This allows you to edit the definition in context, rather than needing to open up the module file to work on it. Check the box if you prefer to work on the design in a separate file; this is useful when you want to have a staff member work on it independently from the main file.

Develop and update the elements in this unit, then repeat the Save Selection as Module (overwriting the file) and use the File menu > External Content > Hotlinked Module Manager whenever you wish to Update the module to the latest versions.

ARCHICAD Training Lesson Transcript

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