0

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.

0

ArchiCAD CyberWeek Begins: Back to the Fundamentals (free tutorials plus some special deals)

I’m pretty sure you’ve heard of Black Friday.
And Cyber Monday.
But CyberWeek?

It’s an idea that I’ve put a lot of thought into.
As an ArchiCAD user, I think you’ll find this story of interest.

This week I’m sharing some free goodies (some of my best video tutorials on the fundamentals of ArchiCAD) as well as offering some tasty deals. Read on for details…

ADVANCED ARCHICAD TRAINING – IS THAT ALL?

I’ve created and produced plenty of highly advanced ArchiCAD training this year. Things like the Masters of ArchiCAD Summit, with 12 experts from around the world showing their work. And the Masters of ArchiCAD Training Series, 5 short courses on advanced topics. And my recent set of ArchiCAD video tutorials on YouTube, focused on IFC fields and specification reports.

Wow. Pretty heady stuff.

It’s inspiring and eminently practical if you’re already working productively with ArchiCAD and want to get an edge, optimize your process, shave minutes or hours off your daily routine.

However, for many of you, this advanced stuff is not that useful.
You need to work on your ArchiCAD fundamentals.

BACK TO THE FUNDAMENTALS

As I contemplated Cyber Monday, and the idea of creating a promotional offer on my ArchiCAD training materials and resources, all of a sudden it hit me.

It’s time to go back to the fundamentals of ArchiCAD.

Why?

There’s a whole new generation of ArchiCAD users.
Our ranks are increasing.

And there are a LOT of users who are just getting started, or just getting by.
Architects who have just bought ArchiCAD.
New staff members hired as firms get busy.

Note that it may not be an entirely new generation, age wise.

For example, I talked over the weekend with one white-haired FAIA who has been working with that “other BIM software” in his office, and now wants to learn ArchiCAD. Why? Because he’s heard that it’s going to be easier and more enjoyable for HIM to use.

I get a lot of requests for guidance from students. They write to me from all over the world, including quite a few from places I have to look up on a map.

They’ve seen my ArchiCAD tutorials on my YouTube channel. They know I have a kind heart, and a gentle way of explaining things. So they ask me questions, sometimes specific, sometimes just “please help me learn ArchiCAD.”

I asked myself: “What can I do to help?”

CYBERWEEK BEGINS WITH A NEW FREE TUTORIAL VIDEO EACH DAY

OK, so it’s a cute name (at least I think so). Instead of offering a special sale promotion for one day, Cyber Monday, let’s try it for a whole week. (This is just the beginning of my cunning plan.)

Instead of giving away an occasional video tutorial, every once in a while, I’m going to pull out of my vault some of my best training on ArchiCAD fundamentals and post a new one every day this week.

Each day I’ll post a new free tutorial, and I’ll also announce one or more new sale items. By the end of Cyber Week, we’ll see where we stand.

VIEWS AND LAYERS – ESSENTIAL (BUT CONFUSING) CONCEPTS

To start this out, I have uploaded to my YouTube channel an 11 minute video on View Settings, one of the essential concepts in ArchiCAD. Views are the primary way that you control your working environment for modeling and documentation, and layout out your drawings on sheets.

Over the years, I’ve seen lots of ArchiCAD users confused about the Project Map and the View Map. They look much the same to the new user. Some people even ask me “why do they have both of them – what’s the difference?”

A while back, I created a video on this topic and shared it on YouTube. If you haven’t watched it, I suggest that you check it out, to make sure you’re really clear on the differences and when you should use one versus the other:

Project Map vs. View Map

 

To kick off Cyber Week, I have just posted this video:

ArchiCAD FUNDAMENTALS Tutorial | Intro to View Settings

 

Over the next few days, I’ll post additional videos on:

– Layers and Layer Combinations
– Layer Management
– Clone Folders
– Advanced View Options

NOTE: These lessons are all pulled from from my Best Practices Course on ArchiCAD as my gift to you and all ArchiCAD users this week.

SO WHAT ARE THE “DEALS”? WE’LL START WITH ARCHICAD BASIC TRAINING

CyberWeek wouldn’t be worthy of the name if I didn’t offer some special pricing on my ArchiCAD training and template products.

To start the week out, let’s begin with ArchiCAD basic training. My QuickStart Course provides 29 easy-to-digest lessons totaling 13 hours of instruction. It’s designed to get a raw beginner up and running, comfortable with the ArchiCAD environment and able to produce a clean model and accurate drawings.

Many people have reported that they’ve gone through QuickStart in a weekend, or just a few days, then stepped into a new job at an office using ArchiCAD and been able to take direction and get going. It may not be a miracle, but QuickStart is probably the most effective way to get started as a new user, with my Best Practices principles incorporated throughout the teaching.

Normally this course retails for $197, but during Cyber Week, you can purchase the QuickStart Course for only $97, less than half price. After payment through our secure shopping cart via credit card or PayPal, you’ll get immediate access and can get started right away.

For even more value (and support) pick up the QuickStart Course bundled with 3 months of my ArchiCAD Coaching Program for only $144 (a savings of $150).

FYI – as a member of the ArchiCAD Coaching Program you’ll get my personal assistance on your ArchiCAD questions. You’ll get started right, and keep going strong with my help!

NOTE: These limited time offers are valid during CyberWeek, then disappear.

Eric

P.S. What’s the deal for tomorrow? It’s a surprise. Something I’ve never put on sale before. In fact, there are several goodies in tomorrow’s basket. Stay tuned!

0

Thanksgiving Gifts for ArchiCAD Users

The Thanksgiving holiday period provides an opportunity to pause and give thanks as well as to think ahead to next year.

It’s also a good time to share gifts with people you care about.

I am immensely grateful to all ArchiCAD users who share my passion for this amazing technology created by Graphisoft. Your support and encouragement allows me to make “an honest living” by teaching and mentoring architects and building design professionals. I am inspired by the designs you create as well as your intellectual curiosity and dedicated interest in developing your skills and abilities.

I launched the Masters of ArchiCAD Summit this year to provide a venue for experts from around the world to share their insights, experiences and tips and tricks with the larger ArchiCAD user community. It was a fantastic success, with over 430 users participating in this virtual conference. A dozen ArchiCAD veterans showed us their projects and talked at length about their working methods.

As I put together next year’s Masters of ArchiCAD Summit I want to make sure that every interested ArchiCAD user can benefit from this project. As one step towards that goal, I’m making available a free Guest Pass for three of the 2015 training presentations.

You’ll learn from three power-users who share their skills, tips and tricks for getting the most out of ArchiCAD.

Click here for your free Masters of ArchiCAD Training Pass – over 3 hours of free training to help you optimize your use of our favorite architectural software.

BLACK FRIDAY SPECIAL OFFER:
Save 75% on Summit Recordings

Here in the U.S., Black Friday (the day after Thanksgiving) is a time for special offers and bargain shopping.

In keeping with this tradition, for the next week (through Friday December 4), you can save $150 off the standard price for the complete set of 12 Summit videos.

• Click here to grab the complete Masters of ArchiCAD Summit recordings for only $47!

I’ll be back on “Cyber Monday” with another valuable gift for all ArchiCAD users, something I’ve never given away before. This set of training materials will only be given away free for 5 days, so be sure to check your inbox (if you’re on my email list) and come back here next week.

I’ll also announce some really cool bargains on my extensive collection of the finest ArchiCAD training and tools. You can go Christmas shopping for yourself early!

 

0

New ArchiCAD video tutorial: Specifications Tips & Tricks with IFC Fields (Part 3 of 4)

I have just posted another in my continuing series of free ArchiCAD tutorials on my YouTube channel.

ArchiCAD Tutorial | Specifications Tips & Tricks with IFC Fields | Part 3 of 4

Perhaps you’ll want to watch it between Thanksgiving courses?

(Then again, maybe it’s better to wait till later in the weekend.)

In this 27 minute video (part 3 of my 4 part series on the innovative use of IFC fields) I’ll show you how to:

• Add clickable web links into your schedules and labels
• Use a “link shortener” to provide a short version of the URL for web pages and PDF documents
• Create a durable, reliable web link for construction document references using Dropbox
• Add a Cost field that can be used as part of budgeting
• Learn a few variations of IFC Mapping to pull precise, current BIM information into your associative labels and schedules

 

Please add your comments and questions to the YouTube page.

I’d love to know what you think, and whether you feel this will be useful in your practice.

THANKSGIVING AND BLACK FRIDAY GIFTS AND BARGAINS

Almost everyone here in the U.S. is getting ready to gather with family or friends tomorrow for the big Thanksgiving holiday. It’s a time to be thankful and express gratitude, and FEAST!

I am so thankful that YOU are an active member of the ArchiCAD user community, and that I can make an honest living by sharing my training materials with you and your colleagues.

As a small but earnest gesture of thanks, I’m going to give all of my email subscribers a gift on Friday. As you probably know, we have this strange “new tradition” in the U.S. of shopping for bargains on the day after Thanksgiving. Anyone know when this actually started?

Anyway, look for it in your inbox on “Black Friday”.

I’ll also be announcing my biggest sale of the year (in case you’re in the shopping mood).

Eric

0

New ArchiCAD Tutorial Video: Specifications Report Tips & Tricks Using IFC Data Fields (part 2 of 4)

Want to generate a nicely formatted and organized Specifications Report on your project directly inside ArchiCAD?

My latest ArchiCAD video tutorial continues the exploration of how you can set up Specifications Reports using Interactive Schedules based on IFC field data.

In the first video of this series (released earlier this month) I demonstrated the basic concept: adding special IFC fields for automatic labeling of elements as well as inclusion in Interactive Schedule reports.

In my new 28 minute video (part 2 of 4), I show how to organize your report into trade categories (e.g. Masonry, Carpentry, Roofing, etc.) or a multi-level hierarchy such as the U.S. standard CSI Divisions and Subdivisions.

Specifications Report Tips and Tricks Using IFC Data Fields

I also share methods that help you to speed up the process, quickly adding category information based on layer or element type.

My favorite tip is to define a special schedule that gives you immediate access to the schedule fields directly in the Info Box.

Without this trick, you need about 10 clicks and go through multiple dialog boxes each time.

If you’d like to easily and quickly create a specifications report inside ArchiCAD, watch this 28 minute video.

Note: you’ll understand it better if you watch part 1 first:
Generate Specifications and Optimize Annotation using IFC Data Fields (Part 1 of 4)

Questions? Comments? Feedback?
Email me or post your comment on YouTube.

– Eric

P.S. All this Specification Reporting and IFC stuff is fully implemented in MasterTemplate 19.
“We set it up, so you don’t have to.”