The competitive edge - documentation created while you design

Reduce time spent on documentation! The Virtual Building^TM model is the cutting edge in effective documentation and management. Construction documents and files can be derived without any additional software and practically no repetitive work. With ArchiCAD you can create unlimited sections and elevations that update as you work. Schedules and bills of materials that always reflect the current state of the building model can be generated quickly. Interactive two-way communication between schedules and the Virtual Building^TM allows changes on the model directly from the Interactive Element Schedule.

Dimensioning is both automatic and associative in ArchiCAD, including in sections/elevations. Move and resize elements directly on sections and elevations, and changes are reflected in the other views, including dimensioning. Interiors, exteriors or an entire building can be dimensioned at once, in one step. Labels can attach text or symbols to easily identify parts of your design.

Because ArchiCAD's intelligent objects are scale-sensitive, the floor plan's appearance changes automatically and appropriately (including text, dimension lines, etc.), when the plan scale is changed. Changing the scale is as easy as a mouse click in a convenient pop-up menu.

Detailing is decidedly faster in ArchiCAD than with conventional drafting, thanks to intelligent objects and enhanced detailing and drafting features. The Detail Tool features direct links to dedicated workspaces with parametric detail markers that can meet your local standards as well as your own documentation style. Details are tightly integrated into the Virtual Building^TM, even by using multiple customizable markers linked to the same detail.

ArchiCAD's Zone tool identifies and labels rooms, groups of rooms or any areas that you would like to manage and track. Walls are automatically identified as Zone boundaries, but columns, slabs, beams, roofs, line, arcs and splines can also define the space. The Element ID manager can identify and group elements according to a specified criteria, a great resource for automatic labeling and schedules.

You will immediately benefit from the comprehensive listing, quantity take-offs and schedule capabilities of the Virtual Building^TM database, which tracks area, volume, price, number of pieces, and more. As a Building Information Authoring Tool, ArchiCAD not only can automatically calculate and present the information in standard or custom layouts, but also can export it for use in other software. When you change a size, parameter or any attribute in the interactive door/window schedule, those changes are updated in all views.

ArchiCAD features a host of drafting aids designed to boost your productivity, without cluttering the interface:

• Splines, arcs, ellipses and freehand lines (convertible into 3D elements using the Magic Wand tool)
• Pet palette for easy polygon editing and polylines
• Polylines, for faster and easier drafting techniques and better DXF/DWG compatibility
• Bring to Front/Send to Back any drawing element
• Customizable vectorial hatches, fills and linetypes
• Boolean operations using any elements
• Libraries with a wide variety of drawing markers and symbols
• Rotatable and structural grids
• Offset lines at all 2D and 3D elements
• Vectorial hatching that can be precisely defined for every single element, also in section/elevation
• Customizable keyboard shortcuts and single-key shortcuts
• Close/Distant Section elements
• Automatic clean-up of dimensions; no overlapping figures
• Radial and cumulative dimensions
• Powerful find & select by any criteria

Layout Book brings the project to paper

When it's time to document your Virtual Building^TM on paper, the Layout Book provides the tools for producing high-quality working drawings and paper-based presentations that will be easily understood by engineers, builders and clients. You can import different types of files (vectorial and bitmap) from different sources in one layout, then arrange and manipulate them as needed. All the sheets of a project's entire documentation can be neatly organized in one file, simplifying document management. Automatic page numbering, multiple master pages and intelligent title blocks reduces tedious work and makes compliance with office standards easier, saving you time.

The Layout Book is directly connected to your ArchiCAD project, so even last minute changes are updated in the final drawings. Data from OLE-enabled applications, like Microsoft Excel and Word, can be embedded and remains tied to the original document, so any edits made in the original file will also be updated in the Layout Book.

Drawings can also be rescaled, zoomed, etc., and placed on the layout as a new drawing or frame.