In this article by Scott H. MacKenzie and Adam Rendek, authors of the book ArchiCAD 19 – The Definitive Guide, we will see how our journey, into ArchiCAD 19, begins with an introduction to the graphic user interface, also known as the GUI. As with any software program, there is a menu bar along the top that gives access to all the tools and features. There are also toolbars and tool palettes that can be docked anywhere you like. In addition to this, there are some special palettes that pop up only when you need them.

After your introduction to ArchiCAD's user interface, you can jump right in and start creating the walls and floors for your new house. Then you will learn how to create ceilings and the stairs. Before too long you will have a 3D model to orbit around. It is really fun and probably easier than you would expect.

(For more resources related to this topic, see here.)

The ArchiCAD GUI

The first time you open ArchiCAD you will find the toolbars along the top, just under the menu bar and there will be palettes docked to the left and right of the drawing area. We will focus on the 3 following palettes to get started:

The Toolbox palette: This contains all of your selection, modeling, and drafting tools. It will be located on the left hand side by default.
The Info Box palette: This is your context menu that changes according to whatever tool is currently in use. By default, this will be located directly under the toolbars at the top. It has a scrolling function; hover your cursor over the palette and spin the scroll wheel on your mouse to reveal everything on the palette.
The Navigator palette: This is your project navigation window. This palette gives you access to all your views, sheets, and lists. It will be located on the right-hand side by default.

These three palettes can be seen in the following screenshot:

project-setup-and-modeling-residential-project-img-0

All of the mentioned palettes are dockable and can be arranged however you like on your screen. They can also be dragged away from the main ArchiCAD interface. For instance, you could have palettes on a second monitor.

Panning and Zooming

ArchiCAD has the same panning and zooming interface as most other CAD (Computer-aided design) and BIM (Building Information Modeling) programs. Rolling the scroll wheel on your mouse will zoom in and out. Pressing down on the scroll wheel (or middle button) and moving your cursor will execute a pan.

Each drawing view window has a row of zoom commands along the bottom. You should try each one to get familiar with each of their functions.

View toggling

When you have multiple views open, you can toggle through them by pressing the Ctrl key and tapping on the Tab key. Or, you can pick any of the open views from the bottom of the Window pull-down menu.

Pressing the F2 key will open a 2D floor plan view and pressing the F3 key will open the default 3D view.

Pressing the F5 key will open a 3D view of selected items. In other words, if you want to isolate specific items in a 3D view, select those items and press F5.

The function keys are second nature to those that have been using ArchiCAD for a long time. If a feature has a function key shortcut, you should use it.

Project setup

ArchiCAD is available in multiple different language versions. The exercises in this book use the USA version of ArchiCAD. Obviously this version is in English. There is another version in English and that is referred to as the International (INT) version. You can use the International version to do the exercises in the book, just be aware that there may be some subtle differences in the way that something is named or designed.

When you create a new project in ArchiCAD, you start by opening a project template. The template will have all the basic stuff you need to get started including layers, line types, wall types, doors, windows, and more.

The following lesson will take you through the first steps in creating a new ArchiCAD project:

Open ArchiCAD.
The Start ArchiCAD dialog box will appear. Select the Create a New Project radio button at the top.
Select the Use a Template radio button under Set up Project Settings.
Select ArchiCAD 19 Residential Template.tpl from the drop-down list. If you have the International version of ArchiCAD, then the residential template may not be available. Therefore you can use ArchiCAD 19 Template.tpl.
Click on New. This will open a blank project file.

Project Settings

Now that you have opened your new project, we are going to create a house with 4 stories (which includes a story for the roof). We create a story for the roof in order to facilitate a workspace to model the elements on that level. The template we just opened only has 2 stories, so we will need to add 2 more. Then we need to look at some other settings.

Stories

The settings for the stories are as follows:

On the Navigator palette, select the Project Map icon .
Double click on 1st FLOOR.
Right click on Stories and select Create New Story.
You will be prompted to give the new story a name. Enter the name BASEMENT.
Click on the button next to Below.
Enter 9' into the Height box and click on the Create button. Then double click on 2. 2nd FLOOR.
Right click on Stories and then select Create New Story.
You will be prompted to give the new story a name. Enter the name ROOF.
Click on the button next to Above.
Enter 9' into the Height box and click on the Create button.

Your list of stories should now look like this

3. ROOF
2. 2nd Floor
1. 1st Floor
-1. BASEMENT

The International version of ArchiCAD (INT) will give the first floor the index number of 0. The second floor index number will be 1. And the roof will be 2.

Now we need to adjust the heights of the other stories:

Right click on Stories (on the Navigator palette) and select Story Settings.
Change the number in the Height to Next box for 1st FLOOR to 9'.
Do the same for 2nd FLOOR.

Units

On the menu bar, go to Options | Project Preferences | Working Units and perform the following steps:

Ensure Model Units is set to feet & fractional inches.
Ensure that Fractions is set to 1/64.
Ensure that Layout Units is set to feet & fractional inches.
Ensure that Angle Unit is set to Decimal degrees.
Ensure that Decimals is set to 2.

You are now ready to begin modeling your house, but first let's save the project. To save the project, perform the following steps:

Navigate to the File menu and click on Save. If by chance you have saved it already, then click on Save As.
Name your file Colonial House.
Click on Save.

Renovation filters

The Renovation Filter feature allows you to differentiate how your drawing elements will appear in different construction phases. For renovation projects that have demolition and new work phases, you need to show the items to be demolished differently than the existing items that are to remain, or that are new.

The projects we will work on in this book do not require this feature to manage phases because we will only be creating a new construction. However, it is essential that your renovation filter setting is set to New Construction. We will do this in the first modeling exercise.

Selection methods

Before you can do much in ArchiCAD, you need to be familiar with selecting elements. There are several ways to select something in ArchiCAD, which are as follows:

Single cursor click

Pick the Arrow tool from the toolbox or hold the Shift key down on the keyboard and click on what you want to select. As you click on the elements, hold the Shift key down to add them to your selection set. To remove elements from the selection set, just click on them again with the Shift key pressed.

There is a mode within this mode called Quick Selection. It is toggled on and off from the Info Box palette. The icon looks like a magnet. When it is on, it works like a magnet because it will stick to faces or surfaces, such as slabs or fill patterns. If this mode is not on, then you are required to find an edge, endpoint, or hotspot node to select an element with a single click. Hold the Space button down to temporarily change the mode while selecting elements.

Window

Pick the Arrow tool from the toolbox or hold the Shift key down and draw your selection window. Click once for the window starting corner and click a second time for the end corner.

This works just as windowing does in AutoCAD. Not as Revit does, where you need to hold the mouse button down while you draw your window.

There are 3 different windowing methods. Each one is set from the Info Box palette:

Partial Elements: Anything that is inside of or touching the window will be selected. AutoCAD users will know this as a Crossing Window.
Entire Elements: Anything completely encapsulated by the window will be selected. If something is not completely inside the window then it will not be selected.
Direction Dependent: Click and window to the left, the Partial Elements window will be used. Click and window to the right, the Entire Elements window will be used.

Marquee

A marquee is a selection window that stays on the screen after you create it. If you are a MicroStation CAD program user, this will be similar to a selection window. It can be used for printing a specific area in a drawing view and performing what AutoCAD users would refer to as a Stretch command.

There are 2 types of marquees; single story (skinny) and multi story (fat). The single story marquee is used when you want to select elements on your current story view only. The multi-story marquee will select everything on your current story as well as the stories above and below your selections.

project-setup-and-modeling-residential-project-img-4

The Find & Select tool

This lets ArchiCAD select elements for you, based on the attribute criteria that you define, such as element type, layer, and pen number. When you have the criteria defined, click on the plus sign button on the palette and all the elements within that criterion inside your current view or marquee will be selected.

project-setup-and-modeling-residential-project-img-5

The quickest way to open the Find & Select tool is with the Ctrl + F key combination

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Modification commands

As you draw, you will inevitably need to move, copy, stretch, or trim something. Select your items first, and then execute the modification command. Here are the basic commands you will need to get things moving:

Adjust (Extend): Press Ctrl + - or navigate to Edit | Reshape | Adjust
Drag (Move): Press Ctrl + D or…navigate to Edit | Move | Drag
Drag a Copy (Copy): Press Ctrl + Shift + D or navigate to Edit | Move | Drag a Copy
Intersect (Fillet): Click on the Intersect button on the Standard toolbar or navigate to Edit | Reshape | Intersect
Resize (Scale): Press Ctrl + K or navigate to Edit | Reshape | Resize
Rotate: Press Ctrl + E or navigate to Edit | Move | Rotate
Stretch: Press Ctrl + H or navigate to Edit | Reshape | Stretch
Trim: Press Ctrl or click on the Trim button on the Standard toolbar or navigate to Edit | Reshape | Trim. Hold the Ctrl key down and click on the portion of wall or line that you want trimmed off. This is the fastest way to trim anything!

Memorizing the keyboard combinations above is a sure way to increase your productivity.

Modeling – part I

We will start with the wall tool to create the main exterior walls on the 1st floor of our house, and then create the floor with the slab tool. However, before we begin, let's make sure your Renovation Filter is set to New Construction.

Setting the Renovation Filter

The Renovation Filter is an active setting that controls how the elements you create are displayed. Everything we create in this project is for new construction so we need the new construction filter to be active.

To do so, go to the Document menu, click on Renovation and then click on 04 New Construction.

Using the Wall tool

The Wall tool has settings for height, width, composite, layer, pen weight and more. We will learn about these things as we go along, and learn a little bit more each time we progress into to the project.

Double click on 1. 1st Story in the Navigator palette to ensure we are working on story 1.
Select the Wall tool from the Toolbox palette or from the menu bar under Design | Design Tools | Wall.
Notice that this will automatically change the contents of the Info Box palette. Click on the wall icon inside Info Box. This will bring up the active properties of the wall tool in the form of the Wall Default Settings window. (This can also be achieved by double clicking on the wall tool button in Toolbox).
Change the composite type to Siding 2x6 Wd. Stud. Click on the wall composite button to do this.

project-setup-and-modeling-residential-project-img-6

Creating the exterior walls of the 1st Story

To create the exterior walls of the 1st story perform the following steps:

Select the Wall tool from the Toolbox palette, or from the menu bar under Design | Design Tools | Wall.
Double click on 1. 1st Story in the Navigator palette to ensure that we are working on story 1.
Select the Wall tool from the Toolbox palette, or from the menu bar under Design | Design Tools | Wall.
Change the composite type to be Siding 2x6 Wd. Stud. Click on the wall composite button to do this.
Notice at the bottom of the Wall Default Settings window is the layer currently assigned to the wall tool. It should be set to A-WALL-EXTR.
Click on OK to start your first wall.
Click near the center of the drawing screen and move your cursor to the left, notice the orange dashed line that appears. That is your guide line. Keep your cursor over the guide line so that it keeps you locked in the orthogonal direction. You should also immediately see the Tracker palette pop up, displaying your distance drawn and angle after your first click. Before you make your second click, enter the number 24 from your keyboard and press Enter. You should now have 24-0" long wall.

If your Tracker palette does not appear, it may be toggled off. Go up to the Standard tool bar and click on the Tracker button to turn it on.
Select this again and make your first click on the upper left end corner of your first wall. Move your cursor down, so that it snaps to the guideline, enter the number 28, and press the Enter key.
Draw your third wall by clicking on the bottom left endpoint of your second wall, move your cursor to the right, snapped over the guide line, type in the number 24 and press Enter.
Draw your fourth wall by clicking on the bottom right end point of your third wall and the starting point of your first wall. You should now have four walls that measure 24'-0" x 28"-0, outside edge to outside edge.
Move your four walls to the center of the drawing view and perform the following steps:
1. Click on the Arrow tool at the top of the Toolbox.
2. Click outside one of the corners of the walls, and then click on the opposite side. All four walls should be selected now.
3. Use the Drag command to move the walls. The quickest way to activate the Drag command is by pressing Ctrl + D. The long way is from the menu bar by navigating to Edit | Move | Drag.
4. Drag (move) the walls to the center of your drawing window.
5. Press the Esc key or click on a blank space in your drawing window to deselect the walls.
  
  You can select all the walls in a view by activating the Wall tool and pressing Ctrl + A.

You are now ready to create a floor with the slab tool. But first, let's have a little fun and see how it looks in 3D (press the F3 key):

From the Navigator palette, double click on Generic Axonometry under the 3D folder icon.
This will open a 3D view window. Hold your Shift key down, press down on your scroll wheel button, and slowly move your mouse around. You are now orbiting!

Play around with it a little, then get back to work and go to the next step to create your first floor slab. Press the F2 key to get back to a 2D view.

You can also perform a 3D orbit via the Orbit button at the bottom of any 3D view window.

Creating the first story's floor with the Slab tool

The slab tool is used to create floors. It is also used to create ceilings. We will begin using it now to create the first floor for our house. Similar to the Wall tool, it also has settings for layer, pen weight and composite. To create the first story's floor using the Slab tool, perform the following steps:

Select the Slab tool from the Toolbox palette or from the menu bar under Design | Design Tools | Slab.
This will change the contents of the Info Box palette. Click on the Slab icon in Info Box. This will bring up the Slab Default Settings (active properties) window for the Slab tool.
As with the Wall tool, you have a composite setting for the slab tool. Set the composite type for the slab tool to FLR Wd Flr + 2x10.
The layer should be set to A-FLOR.
Click OK.
You could draw the shape of the slab by tracing over the outside lines of your walls but we are going to use the Magic Wand feature. Hover your cursor over the space inside your four walls and press the space bar on your keyboard. This will automatically create the slab using the boundary created by the walls. Then, open a 3D view and look at your floor.

Instead of using the tool icon inside the Info Box palette, double click on any tool icon inside the Toolbox palette to bring up the default settings window for that tool.

Creating the exterior walls and floor slabs for the basement and the second story

We could repeat all of the previous steps to create the floor and walls for the second story and the basement, but in this case, it will be quicker to copy what we have already drawn on the first story and copy it up with the Edit Elements by Stories tool. Perform the following steps to create the exterior walls and floor slabs for the basement and second story:

Go to the Navigator palette and right click over Stories, select Edit Elements by Stories. The Edit Elements by Stories window will open.
Under Select Action, you want to set it to Copy.
Under From Story, set it to 1. 1st FLOOR.
In the To Story section, check the box for 2nd FLOOR and -1. BASEMENT.
Click on OK.
You should see a dialog box appear, stating that as a result of the last operation, elements have been created and/or have changed their position on currently unseen stories. Whenever you get this message, you should confirm that you have not created any unwanted elements.

Click on the Continue button. Now you should have walls and a floor on three stories; Basement, 1st FLOOR, and 2nd FLOOR.

The quickest way to jump to the next story up or the next story down is with the Ctrl + Arrow Up or Ctrl + Arrow Down key combination.

Basement element modification

The floor and the walls on the BASEMENT story need to be changed to a different composite type. Do this by performing the following steps:

Open the BASEMENT view and select the four walls by clicking on one at a time while holding down the Shift key.
Right click over your selection and click on Wall Selection Settings. Change the walls to the EIFS on 8" CMU composite type. Then, click on OK.
Move your cursor over the floor slab. The quick selection cursor should appear. This selection mode allows you to click on an object without needing to find an edge or endpoint. Click on the slab.
Open the Slab Selection Setting window but this time, do it by pressing the Ctrl + T key combination. Change the floor slab composite to Conc. Slab: 4" on gravel. Click on OK.

The Ctrl + T key combination is the quickest way to bring up an element's selection settings window when an element is selected.

Open a 3D view (by pressing the F3 key) and orbit around your house. It should look similar to the following screenshot:

project-setup-and-modeling-residential-project-img-11

Adding the garage

We need to add the garage and the laundry room, which connects the garage to the house. Do this by performing the following steps:

Open the 1st FLOOR story from the project map.
Start the Wall tool. From the Info Box palette, set the wall composite setting to Siding 2x6 Wd. Stud.
Click on the upper-left corner of your house for your wall starting point. Move your cursor to the left, snap to the guide line, type 6'-10", and press Enter.
Change the Geometry Method setting on Info Box to Chained. Refer to the following screenshot:
Start your next wall by clicking on the endpoint of your last wall, move your cursor up, snap to the guideline and type 5', and press Enter.
Move your cursor to the left, snap to grid line, type in 12'-6", and press Enter.
Move your cursor down, snap to grid line, type in 22'-4", and press Enter.
Move your cursor to the right, snap to grid line and double click on the perpendicular west wall (double pressing your Enter key will work the same as a double click).

Now we want to create the floor for this new set of walls. To do that, perform the following steps:

Start the Slab tool.
Change the composite to Conc. Slab: 4" on gravel.
Hover your cursor inside the new set of walls and press the Space key to use the magic wand. This will create the floor slab for the garage and laundry room.

There is still one more wall to create, but this time we will use the Adjust command to, in effect, create a new wall:

Select the 5'-0" wall drawn in the previous exercise.
Go to the Edit menu, click on Reshape, and then click on Adjust.
Click on the bottom edge of the perpendicular wall down below. The wall should extend down. Refer to the following screenshot:
Then Change to a 3D view (by pressing F3) and examine your work.

The 3D view

If you switch to a 3D view and your new modeling does not show, zoom in or out to refresh the view, or double click your scroll wheel (middle button). Your new work will appear.

Summary

In this article you were introduced to the ArchiCAD Graphical User Interface (GUI), project settings and learned how to select stuff. You created all the major modeling for your house and got a primer on layers. Now you should have a good understanding of the ArchiCAD way of creating architectural elements and how to control their parameters.