Freedom to design - ArchiCAD supports your style

The design process is very individual. Your CAD system should support your approach to design, and not the other way around. The choice of more than 100,000 architects worldwide, ArchiCAD gives you the flexibility to design in any form you wish. Whether you're doing a quick conceptual 3D massing study, working out a functional design arrangement in plan, detailing the eaves, or designing a complex roof in 3D view, ArchiCAD's comfortable, efficient interface and full toolset supports your style. Additionally, the customizable dialog boxes and pet palette puts what you use most, in the way that you want it. And, navigating on the floor plan or in any 3D view, you'll experience ArchiCAD's amazing speed.

When you place elements on the floor plan, or in 3D view, the elements already contain information about their height, thickness, material and more. ArchiCAD elements are parametric, so their properties can be changed at any time, giving you unsurpassed flexibility and speed in the design phase. Building elements inherently contain 3D information, so visualization of your building model doesn't take extra steps. Mistakes in planning can be seen immediately, and therefore avoided.

ArchiCAD's design tools give you the freedom to create complex models in 3D while easing tedious 2D work. Construction elements - walls, beams, columns, slabs and roofs can take complex shapes and snap together intelligently. Solid operations based on Boolean geometry enable you to easily model custom objects. Intersections between ArchiCAD elements can be modified using an intuitive interface with the result shown instantly in 3D view. Intuitive data entry methods assist in creating new elements the way you want, right from the start.

ArchiCAD operates on a true story concept. Your project can contain any number of stories that have a height and floor plan, and build upon each other, making the alignment of columns, stairs and windows a snap. You can jump freely and move building elements between stories, and optionally display all or selected elements of any story above or below your "home" story. Elements stretching over multiple stories automatically appear correctly on all stories.

For the precise placement of building elements, ArchiCAD's intelligent cursor is always active. It senses your position on the floor plan or in perspective and locates important points such as ends, intersections and tangentials, and finds divisions on any element to aid, for example, in the precise placement of windows in walls. During element input, temporary Guidelines help you find directions and special geometry points in the most intuitive way, with constant visual feedback. The Tracker follows the cursor providing you data about the element you are just about to select. It also provides in-place numeric input option during element creation and editing.

ArchiCAD elements react intelligently to their environment: wall intersections automatically clean up, even complex-profile elements can clearly intersect with each other using solid geometry, composite structures' layers intersect with each other based on user-defined priorities, and roofs can trim building elements for more efficient designing. Not only does ArchiCAD automatically assist your modeling, but also alerts you if doors or windows are placed incorrectly in walls. The Gravity feature used on the floor plan or in 3D view aids in placing building components on floors, roofs or meshes. This accelerates work, makes the management of the project easier and, most importantly allows you to design instead of draft.

Architectural Modeling in ArchiCAD:

• Working in any view: Use any of ArchiCAD's editing commands in floor plan, 3D or section/elevation view - wherever it's more convenient for you. Select from available editing commands in the Pet palette and use the Tracker for precise positioning in any model view.
• Navigating in 3D: Different navigation modes make moving around in the building convenient. Pan, zoom and turn functions are available even during editing or element input. Use orbit mode to rotate around the building or take a walk inside - just like in computer games - in Explore mode.
• Boolean geometry: Create intricate objects easily in 3D view with solid operations.
• Profile manager: Create any complex profile that you can draw with one or more polygons, and use that profile for walls and beams
• Customizable attribute groups and dialogs: Support different working methods and experience levels. Attributes and favorites can be defined to ensure every document complies with local or office standards.
• Smart editable hotspots: Edit objects graphically, faster and with visual feedback
• Walls: Wall cross-sections can be straight, slanted, double slanted or profiled; their floorplan geometry can be straight, chained, curved, polygonal or trapezoid. Doors and windows snap intelligently into even the most complex walls. Irregular walls can be cut with, or adjusted to roofs, with just one click
• Roofs: The automatic roof design function produces complete roof landscapes. Roofs can trim other elements. Complex truss systems can be designed and edited in 3D. Skylights placed in a roof, update when the roof's geometry changes.