Creating keyboard shortcuts in ArchiCAD, a quick and helpful video
I regularly get questions about keyboard shortcuts. Probably the top two questions are “Is there a keyboard shortcut for Function A?” or “How do I make a keyboard shortcut for Function A?“. Well to answer both those questions and some others as well, I’ve created this short how-to video on creating keyboard shortcuts in ArchiCAD. Enjoy!
For more information on Keyboard Shortcuts in ArchiCAD, check out these links:
Keyboard Shortcuts from the online help page
Definitive proof on why you need to use more keyboard shortcuts
All the Shoegnome blog posts referencing shortcuts (probably)
Like this video? Follow Shoegnome on Facebook, Twitter, and Youtube for more…
Pingback: Top 20 Keyboard Shortcuts | Shoegnome
Eric Bobrow
Hey Jared –
Good work as always. Keyboard shortcuts are one of my favorite topics since they save you so much time when you make the small effort to learn them.
I always suggest to users that instead of trying to learn too many at once, that they use their own frustrations as motivation.
Whenever you feel that it’s tedious to use the menu or context menu for an action they do repeatedly, simply learn (or create) that one shortcut, and use it. Repeat that once or twice each day, whenever you’re feeling like it’s a pain to use the menu, and you’ll learn these shortcuts painlessly and will be flying along in no time!
Your readers may be interested in checking out my 32 minute video tutorial on my favorite Keyboard Shortcuts on YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mXPu9xATdWQ
I created it as part of my FastTrack! Course in which I share a slew of tips, tricks and methods that can dramatically speed up your work in ArchiCAD while maintaining full control:
http://www.acbestpractices.com/fast-track
Eric Bobrow
Jared Banks
Eric, Thanks for sharing the video. I think mine and yours are nice compliments. Also is the FastTrack! Course brand new? I seem to have missed that announcement somehow…
Also, that’s a great philosophy for adding new shortcuts or learning the existing ones.
Eric Bobrow
Hi Jared –
The FastTrack! Course is a series of lessons excerpted from my larger Best Practices Course. I introduced it in the spring of 2012, but didn’t promote it very widely.
In September, I added two other inexpensive mini-courses, one on Roofs (http://www.acbestpractices.com/roof-design-course/) and the other on Site Modeling (http://www.acbestpractices.com/site-model-course/); they are also available as a three pack bundle (http://www.acbestpractices.com/archicad-training-three-pack/).
Eric
Jared Banks
okay… that’s all starting to sound vaguely familiar now. Let’s just blame my lapse in memory on a VERY busy 2012!
KB Dave
Jared,
Besides using most of the default keyboard shortcuts, I use the following… And because I am right-handed, I try to have as many shortcuts accessible with my left hand…
w = select tool AND previous tool (default)
L = line tool (right-hand move) (default)
option + L = polyline tool (2-handed)
s = spline tool (often use for arrows)
option+1 = Zoom in
option+2 = Zoom out
option+3 = Previous view
option+q = pan
option+w = text
control+z = delete
control+s = split
control+f = fillet/chamfer
option+[= send to back (2-handed)
control+[= send backward (2-handed)
option+]= send to front (2-handed)
control+]= send forward (2-handed)
control+t = align top (2-handed)
control+b = align bottom (2-handed)
control+l = align left (2-handed)
control+r = align right (2-handed)
control+c = align center (2-handed)
My 2-cents… a lot of these are carry overs from earlier AC versions and other apps…. and they seem to work for me but I’m constantly tweaking for better speed.
I know there is way to toggle between different options, for example, SELECT arrow… but I can’t remember of find how OR maybe it was another app.
Cheers!
Jared Banks
Dave, for some future tweaking… read this old post (mostly point #2). https://shoegnome.com/2010/11/01/bass-lessons/ You should be able to do a lot of those keyboard shortcuts with one hand, if you want. It might mean using the right hand sometimes. But I think that’d be faster than two hands since your left can just keep resting. I think about hand positions on the keyboard much like on a bass guitar.
Also I miss using an external keyboard, though I’m used to it now. On a real keyboard (not a laptop one) there’s a control key on both sides. Makes so many keyboard short cuts much easier!
I really like the align top/left/right/bottom short cuts. I might try those out. Thanks.
Dave Olufs
I use the align KBSs quite a bit.
And I use the extended (separate) KB and rely heavily on the numeric keys as well as the directional arrows because I a nudger… Although I wish I had a larger variety of nudge amounts rather than one.
Tim Callahan
The most helpful shortcut tool that I have used are the speedpads that are marketed for gamers. When I was on a PC platform, I used the Nostromo N52. Now I work on a Mac and employ the Logitech G13.
These are programable for macros, so that I can have my left hand on the pad and right hand on my mouse- this gives me the ability to quickly enter commands with one keystroke, at one location. This may seem like “not a big deal”, but this tool significantly increases the ease and efficiency of my work.
Jared Banks
Very cool. I haven’t heard of anyone using a gaming pad for architectural work before. Sounds awesome. Must be crazy fast! How’d you first start using them? Already a gamer?
Jason
Like Tim said, the Logitech G13 allows you to set programmable macros. That’s is why it is popular with gamers. I use it more for the text I use all the time. Rather then typing it all out every time or copying from another text box or label, I hit one of the ‘G’ keys and it types out what I have preset. There are like 29 programmable keys including 22 ‘G’ keys, a joystick with 5 programmable options and a couple of other keys. Then you can also change to a different ‘bank’ of key combinations. So you could have set key combinations for design and them different for documentation. For the cost that they are, I am surprised that more offices haven’t done it sooner as the benefits from increased workflow would be huge for an office with multiple users.
It can take a while to get used to it but I highly recommend it. Well worth the investment!!!
Eric Bobrow
A quick response to Dave Olufs – you mention you are “a nudger” and wish you had a larger variety of nudge amounts rather than one.
There are two options for nudging: “nudge” and “nudge more”. I don’t use these enough to remember the actual keyboard shortcuts, but I think that it might be Shift-Right (nudge right) and Shift-Command-Right (nudge right more).
In any event, the small nudge uses the Snap Grid (often set in the U.S. to 4″ or less; perhaps 10cm in International versions) and the larger nudge uses the Construction Grid (set by default in the U.S. to 4′; 1 meter INT versions). You can change the settings of these Grids in your Options menu > Grids and Background settings.
Were you aware of these options?
Eric
s2art
Looking at Dave’s list, I’m wondering why you’d need shortcuts for Zoom in / out and pan commands (no scroll wheel on mouse perhaps?). Also, for delete my shortcut is the delete button 😉
My shortcuts for bring forward / send backward are Shift+Up Arrow / Down Arrow. Does just what it says on the box. Just can’t confuse them with CMD+Up/Down or I change storey by mistake.
As always, many ways to skin the Archicad Cat.
KB Dave
To Eric…
Thanks for the response. I do know about the big nudge and little nudge…and provides only two options. In a past app, I was able to set up easily 10 different nudge amounts for all sorts of different uses and blended with different views and scales.
To s2art…
Thanks for your response as well. I do have a mouse with a scroll wheel which I use a lot but for me, there are times when I need a very controlled zoom. The scroll works most of the time…
Pan is erratic and changes scale but could be my mouse. I use ‘pan’ a lot.
For ‘delete’ I use both the delete button and the control+z but 90% of the time, the latter. The delete button means taking my hand off the mouse and is equal distance from RH or LH.
Shift+arrows up, down, left, right is what I use for nudge… and I think is AC default.
I have some duplicate KBSs depending on where my hands are located and if I remember them…
And I too am always open to ways to speed things up…
Thanks
KB Dave
This is a wish-list item… for the ‘pan’ tool
I’d love to have it keep functioning UNTIL I was done panning… rather than one swipe across the screen. Unless I’m using it wrong.
Jared Banks
I don’t think you’re using it wrong… 🙁 good wish.
s2art
Dave – if you pick the Pan function in the zoom controls at the bottom of your plan window it does exactly what you want. Best of both worlds. 🙂
Pingback: Updating Your Work Environment for Archicad 22 – GRAPHISOFT