ArchiCAD Tips & Tricks: Template Development

Angi Izzi, President of Design Integrations, has just published the second of a 4 part series on producing better documentation with ArchiCAD on the Cadalyst AEC web site.

Part 2 of ArchiCAD Insights: Creating Concise Documentation covers Pens and Colors, Dimensioning Preferences and Output Scales and can be found here.

Part 1 covered Layers and Layer Combinations and is located here. A complete list of Angi's articles at CADalyst is here.

We'll keep you posted on the publication of the next instalment and other related articles.

New ArchiCAD Book: From CAD to Quantity Survey

Erik Wilk is the driving force behind FC-Cadlink, a web site for French ArchiCAD Users.

Last November he published a new book on Scheduling and Listing, a much neglected topic even in the days when all of this functionality was embedded in something called the Calculate Menu.

The English version of the book, ArchiCAD - From CAD to Quantity Survey will be published on January 20. Here is an abstract:

Architects, building industry professionals and architecture students who use ArchiCAD will discover throughout this book the potential and power of the calculation functions of ArchiCAD.
After explaining the notions and basis of quantity survey in ArchiCAD, the author then explains step by step, and with a concrete example, how to create a book and specification data base, how to transfer an existing data base, how to configure tools and properties, how to link it all through GDL scripts in order to generate a price list, a quantity estimate, an estimate or a summary description from your 3D model.

You will familiarize yourself with the strengths of the ArchiCAD quantity survey, such as the keys, components, specifications, properties, criteria and lists.

Well documented and widely illustrated, this study will become your benchmark encyclopaedia, thanks to its index and detailed table of contents.

Book examples as well as the supplied files are realized with ArchiCAD 9. The procedures are identical if you possess ArchiCAD 7, 8 or 10.

Eric's book weighs in at 352 pages and costs 45Euro.

ISBN 10: 2-9527670-1-7

ISBN 13: 978-2-9527670-1-9

See a detailed Table of Contents and Order your copy here.

Lower Mainland ArchiCAD User Group

Duane Siegrist and Dale Staples of Integra Architecture have graciously offered the use of their office for a meeting of the Lower Mainland ArchiCAD USer Group on Wednesday Noon, January 24.

Integra is located at 416 West Pender Street.

This is intended to be a planning session for a year's worth of events.

On this month's agenda:

• A Look Ahead - Nemetschek & Graphisoft in 2007
• The Jump to Ten - Are We Ready for Eleven?
• ArchiCAD Training in the Lower Mainland
• Graphisoft Educational Policy & its Implications
• Suggestions from the Floor
• Technical Support Improvements
  
• Date & Venue for the Next Meeting

A link to other information or updates will be posted here.