SketchUp to ArchiCAD (a super quick video)
I'm always being asked how to get content from SketchUp to ArchiCAD. It couldn't be easier. Here's a video showing you how.
Pocket Door Display in ArchiCAD
A quick lesson on pocket doors in ArchiCAD. The video will also teach you a little about composites and niches.
Building Materials in ArchiCAD 17 – Video Two
Here's my second video on Building Materials in ArchiCAD 17. I pick up right where we left off in the last video.
Building Materials in ArchiCAD 17 – Video One
I asked on the Shoegnome Facebook page what my next ArchiCAD tutorial video should be about. There was some interest in Pen Sets, but the overwhelming majority of people wanted more on Building Materials in ArchiCAD 17. So here's the
Creation, Movement, and Revision: Simple Architecture Tool Tests
Can we distill the benefits of ArchiCAD, Revit, Sketchup, Hand drafting, etc. down by looking at simple architecture tool tests? I think so. Here's why.
BIMx Docs Brings Fully Integrated BIM Projects to the iPhone/iPad
The official announcement about BIMx Docs for ArchiCAD. The future of BIM documentation arrived last week. Check out BIMx Docs by Graphisoft. The more you explore it, the more you're going to see the potential. If you are interested in
Building Materials advice from Two ArchiCAD Pros
Are you a little nervous about moving to the latest version of ArchiCAD? Are the mysteries of a whole new attribute a bit daunting? You are not alone. Here are two great resources for you to better understand what Building
Symbol Line Type Creation and Symbol Line Types in Composites
This video is in support of this BIM Engine post I wrote. You should read that post to understand more about what's going on. A few more notes: At the end of the video I say "copy in 3D". I meant
Creating 2D Symbols for ArchiCAD Objects
The most important ArchiCAD (Objects) video you'll watch in 2013 Back in February 2013 I made a tutorial video on making ArchiCAD Objects. If you haven't watched it, you should. It covers the basics of object making that I completely gloss
Simple Solutions: Elevation, Latitude, and Longitude
I've been crazy busy the past few days: enjoying a four day weekend at home with my wife and daughters, trying to see many of our Twin Cities friends one last time before we head first West then East (then
ArchiCAD Modeling Tips – BONUS VIDEO!
This is my third video on modeling chimneys in ArchiCAD. The first covered Complex Profiles and the second discussed the Morph Tool. A HUGE thank you to Gorazd Rajh of Pilon AEC (the reseller of ArchiCAD in Slovenia) for sharing
Modeling tips for Chimneys in ArchiCAD Redux
In response to my earlier video on modeling tips for chimneys in ArchiCAD, some readers pointed out that the Morph Tool also offers a great way to do these types of chimneys (or similarly complex forms). I completely agree. Therefor
Modeling tips for Chimneys in ArchiCAD
When doing remodels, I often come across some weird chimneys. Likewise when doing new construction, certain architectural styles suggest less than plain chimneys. Here's a video sharing some tips on how to make good looking chimneys in ArchiCAD. Of course
ArchiCAD 17 — “BIM Lives in the Details”
To see a graphic comparison of all the changes between ArchiCAD 10 and ArchiCAD 17, check out the ArchiCAD Upgrade Calculator created by Graphisoft Connect. BUDAPEST, May 7, 2013 — GRAPHISOFT® announced today ArchiCAD 17, the latest version of its award-winning
The Basics of making a Movie from ArchiCAD
I'd been meaning to record a video on the basics of making a movie from ArchiCAD for a long time. Yesterday a former colleague and friend was asking where she could find such a video to teach her how to
ArchiCAD Template Basics: View Map and Layout Book
Templates are a big deal. Your template can determine whether you make or lose money with BIM. A strong template can make you efficient. A poor template can win you a gold medal for Wheel Reinvention. I'm not being hyperbolic.
Anything You can Do, I can Do Better: taking materials from SketchUp to ArchiCAD
I expect to have dozens of people argue against that title. But I sure bet it caught your attention. The real point is that most architectural software has something to teach us about our own preferred program. The examples are
Skill vs Power: Learning BIM
If you have six minutes, please do yourself a favor and watch this video. But instead of thinking about video games, think about BIM adoption in firms. Specifically think about people learning ArchiCAD, Revit, or one of the other BIM
The Organizer… aka the Navigator’s Big Brother
I actually mean both Big Brother as in your wise male sibling who was born before you AND that all seeing eye of some over arching organization. The Organizer is pretty awesome and powerful like that. I cover a lot
Video games, Micro-transactions, and Nine Minutes of your Time well spent
So you know micro-payments have been on my mind recently. I've been thinking a lot about how in conjunction with augmented reality and/or QR codes these small amounts of money offer some intriguing possibilities for architects. I've also been dwelling
The Return of Work Environments: The Basics of setting Work Environments plus importing and exporting them
It's been way too long since I talked about Work Environments in ArchiCAD. We had a good run last spring and summer with close to 10 posts on this subject. Read them all here. I still have a bunch more
Picking a Subtype for an ArchiCAD Object (and some other important tips)
One of the greatest improvements in ArchiCAD 16 is how much easier it is to make objects. Not that it was particularly hard before, but along with the Morph Tool there have been some tweaks that mean there's no excuse
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
Cutting a hole in a 2D Morph
Over on BIM Engine (the Graphisoft North America Blog which I also write for), someone had a question about how to cut a hole in a 2D Morph. Well the easiest way to explain that was to do a quick
Quick and Pretty Renderings From ArchiCAD
The above rendering is fairly typical of what I show clients these days. It's not the most complex image, but it's fast and easy. And you could imagine that with a little more effort scalies, trees, etc. could be easily