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NEW: ARCHICAD Templates & Office Standards Training Course

Enrollment is now open for the next course in the Masters of ARCHICAD Training Series starting on Wednesday October 26.

It focuses on a very important topic:
ARCHICAD Templates and Office Standards.

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New ArchiCAD Video Tutorial: Tracker Tricks

ArchiCAD’s Tracker facilitates on-screen, on the fly entry of coordinates and dimensions. This 24 minute ArchiCAD tutorial video starts with the basics then demonstrates and explains cool time-saving tricks and methods used by ArchiCAD experts.

TIPS: If the video appears fuzzy, click the gear icon and choose HD; you can also switch to full-screen. NEW: Try adjusting the speed control to go through the video faster – I use this all the time.

TRACKER DISPLAY

In the default Work Environment settings, the Tracker automatically appears after you make the first click in a multi-click process. It displays your current cursor position relative to the Edit Origin, which is usually the previous click-point. In some cases this can be relative to the other end (or an adjacent node point) of an element you are editing.

When you draw a single wall or line (or a series of walls or lines), the Tracker will show the length and orientation of the element. When you draw a rectangle (of walls, lines, slab, roof, etc.) the Tracker will show two linear dimensions.

When you move an element or a set of elements, the Tracker shows the offset from the original point (i.e. how far you are moving it).

Except for preliminary sketch design, it is not advisable to rely on Tracker values when drawing with the mouse. The displayed accuracy is based on a combination of your current zoom factor and Working Units (which can be set in the Options menu > Project Preferences). For example, if your working units are set for 1/4”, then the Tracker will round dimensions to the nearest 1/4” and your potential error can be as much as 1/8”; this can cause issues in dimension strings later on.

To hide or show the Tracker click the Tracker button in the Toolbar. Hiding the Tracker may be helpful during annotation when precise distances or sizes are unnecessary.

To show the Tracker ALL the time, use the Options menu > Work Environment > Tracker and Coordinate Input > Show Tracker > Always. You can change this back to the default at any time.

TRACKER INPUT

Any time you can click the mouse to indicate a position or dimension, you can hit the Enter key instead of clicking the mouse. This allows you to carefully position the mouse, then use the keyboard to confirm the location. This may be helpful if your hand isn’t totally steady, and you find that sometimes the mouse position jumps as you click.

Alternatively, you can enter information into the Tracker to specify a precise dimension, then click Enter to confirm and essentially “click” at the computed location.

The Tracker always has a highlighted input field displayed in bold text. Simply type in a numeric value, and it will be entered into that field. Hit the Enter key on the keyboard to complete the operation.

For rectangular dimensions, one field will be highlighted. Type in…

NOTE: I’ve written up a 5 page PDF as a quick reference guide to the ArchiCAD Tracker, which I’d love to send you. Simply click the button below and tell me where to send it, and you’ll have it in your inbox within a few minutes.

[thrive_leads id=’2613′]

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The Masters of ArchiCAD 2016 Summit Explained – Themes, Topics, Program Info

People are calling this week’s Masters of ArchiCAD Summit the online ArchiCAD event of the year.

It’s our second annual virtual conference featuring presentations by a dozen ArchiCAD veterans from around the world.

These are users who design buildings, create models, produce construction documents, and deal with clients.

Just like you, only a bit further down the road, perhaps.

So…what’s in it for you?
Why should you care?
What’s this all about?

In this post I’ll tell you!

The Masters of ArchiCAD Summit is a unique, “can’t miss” event for all passionate ArchiCAD users. It’s absolutely worth your time to watch these webinar sessions, either live on Thursday and Friday (see schedule below), or later as recorded videos.

First of all…

Masters of ArchiCAD Summit is made for YOU if…

• You want to get the most out of ArchiCAD
• You get excited when you learn how something tricky and/or time consuming can be done more easily and quickly
• You know your 3D model could be taken further
• You aspire to deliver higher quality documents that make construction go smoothly
• You aim for continual improvement; “good enough” isn’t good enough for you
• ArchiCAD is a key competitive advantage that helps you win projects

THEMES AND TOPICS FOR SUMMIT 2016

I’ve carefully selected presenters who push ArchiCAD to the limits. Not necessarily in terms of exotic architecture (although a few of them do projects that are pretty “far-out”), nor in terms of size (most work on smaller projects), nor materials.

However all of them drive this tool hard, and make it deliver the goods. In general, they’ve figured out how to make it perform like a precision instrument, carrying their design firm to success, making clients happy and actually having some fun themselves.

Here are some of the themes that we’ll be exploring during the Summit:

• CONCEPTUAL DESIGN – making conceptual design more fluid, efficient and flexible (Yanes, Gilchrist, Haynes, Horvath)
• DATA AND COLLABORATION – leveraging data / building information flow / improving collaboration (Hopkins, Ball, Lettner, Matthews)
• WORKFLOW AND SPEED – optimizing project workflow and speed of delivery – (Hohman, Matthews, Lawes, Bobrow, Horvath)
• CLIENT COMMUNICATION – creative adaptations of tools and methods (Horvath, Haynes, Hohman, Gilchrist, Allsopp)
• PUSHING THE LIMITS – cutting edge tools and ideas (Allsopp, Ball, Hopkins)

The Masters of ArchiCAD Summit will inspire you and teach you practical methods that you can take back to the office. It’s an event AND it’s a reference library of case studies, tips and tricks, and eye-opening peeks behind the curtain and over the shoulder of these veterans.

CLICK HERE for advance price tickets at half-price
(Only $147 through Wednesday night)

Hey – what if you can’t fit this in to your schedule?
Or can only watch a little bit this week?

No problem.
Sign up now and you’ll get permanent access to the video recordings.

MASTERS OF ARCHICAD SUMMIT SCHEDULE

(ALL TIMES PST / LOS ANGELES = GMT – 8)

THURSDAY FEBRUARY 4

9 am – Phil Allsopp, USA
Using Point Cloud Files from Laser Surveys for As-Built Data

10:30 am – Gary Lawes, UK
Hacking GDL – Practical Parametric Object Making, Part 2

12 Noon – Timothy Ball, UK
IFC Automated Specifications and Keynotes

1:30 pm – Van Hohman, USA
Optimized Workflow and Client Communications for Remodels

3 pm – Eugenio Fontán Yanes, Hong Kong
From Concept to BIM: ArchiCAD Design Strategies

4:30 pm – Karoly Horvath, Australia
Managing Colour Schemes in ArchiCAD

FRIDAY FEBRUARY 5

9 am – Ed Haynes, USA
ArchiCAD Design for Live Events, Restaurants and Theater

10:30 am – shawn B hopkins, South Africa
Using Data to Inform the ArchiCAD Design Workflow

12 Noon – Andreas Lettner, Austria
Collaborative Design with ArchiCAD BIM Server

1:30 pm – Duncan Gilchrist, USA
Concept Modeling: Complex Geometries and Large Projects

3 pm – Eric Bobrow, USA
ArchiCAD Speed Tricks, Shortcuts and Power Tools

4:30 pm – Rich Matthews, Australia
How to BIM an Indian Palace in Australia

Click here for complete information and registration for the Masters of ArchiCAD Summit.

REMINDER: The half-price advance ticket offer ends Wednesday night.

 

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Registration opens for Masters of ArchiCAD Summit 2016!

The Masters of ArchiCAD Summit returns for a second year on February 4 & 5, 2016.

A dozen ArchiCAD experts from around the world share their knowledge, insights and tips in this virtual conference, a series of live webinar presentations over two full days.

All of the live sessions are recorded and may be viewed later on demand, creating a powerful, inspiring reference library of best practices, case studies and training materials.

• CLICK HERE for complete program information and $97 registration
  (save $200 this week with early registration discount)

Almost 450 ArchiCAD users participated in the 2015 Summit, one of the biggest ArchiCAD events ever held.

Feedback was extremely positive, with many attendees reporting they were “glued to their chairs.” Some wrote in that it was the most inspiring series of ArchiCAD presentations they had ever seen.

With that sort of feedback, we’ve scheduled an encore performance, or perhaps more precisely, a sequel!

THIS YEAR’S SUMMIT PROGRAM

Six of our most popular presenters return to share their latest projects and experiences, plus we’re adding six new presenters, dedicated ArchiCAD users doing inspiring work, to cover new topics.

Masters of ArchiCAD is a rare opportunity to peek into the working methods of experienced users, to help you learn and implement optimized strategies in your own office.

Each presenter brings their unique perspective to the virtual table, focusing on one or more projects or on a topic that they are passionate about.

Topics include:

• conceptual design strategies and programming
• Morph tool usage for design development
• speed tips and tricks to boost productivity
• hacking GDL to quickly create custom parametric objects
• how to leverage quantity data as you design
• automated generation of specifications and other reports
• managing client communications for remodels and additions
• using laser scanning and point clouds for as-built surveys of historic buildings
• ArchiCAD case studies for live events, themed restaurants and live theater
• and 3 more fascinating, inspiring and eminently useful presentations!

During the Summit, you’ll get to see how ArchiCAD can be deployed in different contexts, often with distinct workflows as well as building sizes and styles.

EARLY REGISTRATION DISCOUNT – SAVE $200 THIS WEEK ONLY

This is a can’t miss, unique event for all active ArchiCAD users. It will enrich your understanding, expand your knowledge and give you practical tools to take back to your own office.

CLICK HERE to read all about this year’s Summit, and take advantage of the $200 Early Registration discount (this week only)

Questions? Comments? Feedback?
Post a comment, I’d love to hear from you!

Eric

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Announcing Masters of ArchiCAD 2016 (YOUR INPUT REQUESTED)

The Masters of ArchiCAD Summit returns for a second year in 2016.

In February 2015, a dozen ArchiCAD experts from around the world shared their knowledge, insights and tips in the first Masters of ArchiCAD Summit, a virtual conference presented as a series of live webinar presentations over two full days.

Over 400 registrants attended live or watched the recordings, making this one of the biggest ArchiCAD events ever held.

The second annual Masters of ArchiCAD Summit will be held February 4 and 5, 2016. Some of the most popular presenters are returning to share their latest projects and experiences, along with a number of veteran users covering new topics.

Masters of ArchiCAD is a rare opportunity to peek into the working methods of experienced users, to help you learn and implement optimized strategies in your own office.

Each presenter brings their unique perspective to the virtual table, focusing on one or more projects or on a topic that they are passionate about. Topics in 2015 included rendering tips and tricks, creating custom parametric GDL objects, quantity calcs, IFC data exchange, modular design, optimized modeling, design-build, etc.

The entire community gets to see how ArchiCAD can be deployed in different contexts, often with distinct workflows as well as building sizes and styles.

There are a few spots left to fill for the 2016 event, so I’m opening this up for your input.

1) Would you like to present? (Note: Presenters receive a substantial honorarium.)

2) Want to nominate or suggest a possible presenter? It could be someone well-known to our global community, or not. Tell us about a colleague who is passionate about their work and pushes the limits of ArchiCAD!

3) Is there a topic you want to see included in the Summit? Your ideas and requests will help shape the final roster of presenters.

Please post your comments, ideas and suggestions here or send me an email with the words “Masters of ArchiCAD” in the subject line.

Details of the 2016 Summit program will be announced in January.

NOTE: To add a comment, click on the title of this article (“Announcing Masters of ArchiCAD 2016”) to go to the actual blog post, then scroll down to the bottom of the page.