The origin point (signified by the small “x” onscreen in the editing window, seen in the center of the image above) is used to determine where the shapes will be placed (horizontally and vertically) when drawing the profiled wall, column or beam. It is possible to use the editing palette to select any edge and modify it to have a special color or material, different from the general edge treatment. Each Fill has an associated surface Material, which determines the appearance of the finish (outside surface treatment). The Fill defines what a section cut will show, so it is frequently chosen based on the actual construction material. Profiles are basically made up of Fills that are turned into solid volumes when extruded. One can also click the New button to open up a blank drafting window and start fresh.
Choosing a listed profile from the popup menu, then the Edit Chosen Profile... button, will open up the Profile Editor, a drafting view of the profile. The Profile Manager palette is pictured on the left-hand side of the image below. One can create and manage complex profiles by selecting from the Design menu > Complex Profiles > Profile Manager. A number of colleagues and clients have offered ideas which opened my eyes to these possibilities over the past two years. This article will focus on some creative and occasionally surprising applications of the complex profile technology.
#ARCHICAD 18 ROOF TUTORIAL HOW TO#
An excellent article in Cadalyst by Greg Kmethy shows how to create composite walls with varying skin heights using complex profiles. A nice introduction to the concept appears in the AECbytes article by Jim Mahoney.
There is a foundation stem wall and footing, a wall with a base and crown molding, and a variety of structural steel shapes for beams and columns.īasic techniques for making and using complex profiles are described in the ArchiCAD Help system and in the printed manual. ArchiCAD Template (the international set is similar). Pictured below are some examples of basic profiles available in the standard U.S. There are some obvious uses for these profiles, such as a structural steel shape for a column or beam, or a wall that changes composition (e.g., stone at the base, stucco above). The Profile Manager allows the user to draw the equivalent of a section cut through the element, and will extrude that combination of shapes along the path of the wall, column or beam. Originally published in AECbytes Tips and Tricks Issue #32ĪrchiCAD introduced in version 10 two years ago a technology for creating complex profiles for use in the wall, column and beam tools.
4 ArchiCAD Tutorial | Creative Uses of ArchiCAD’s Complex Profiles