While the Construction and Snap Grid (set in the View menu) provide a global, equally distributed net covering the whole view, the Grid Tool creates a custom local structural grid. The grid created by this tool is interactive, so you can edit this Grid System even after placing it. Additionally, the Grid Tool is able to place dimensions, beams, columns or optional library parts at the grid intersection points. The grid can be shown on any story; it can appear in any window, not only in Floor Plan, but also in Section/Elevation, Detail and 3D Windows.
To install "Grid Tool" Add-On, copy "Grid Tool" file into your designated Add-Ons folder (typically the Add-Ons folder in the ArchiCAD 11 folder). The add-on will be automatically loaded the next time you start ArchiCAD.
Note: This Add-On can be loaded only when starting ArchiCAD.
The Grid System is an ordered structure of Grid Elements. You can customize a whole grid system in the Grid System Settings dialog, opened from Design > Grid System. You will use this same dialog to modify the grid system after placing. You can also place and modify the Grid Elements individually. Choose the Grid Element Tool from the Toolbox to place a grid element, or Grid Element Settings to set their parameters. The geometry of the grid is an orthogonal or an arced net; you choose the desired format from the dialog. You can change grid display options for 2D and 3D views, either graphically or using the dialog boxes.
Double click the Grid Element Tool in the Toolbox to open the Grid Element Settings dialog. The dialog box contains five panels: Floor Plan, Section/Elevation, Naming rules, Marker, 3D View. At the bottom of the dialog box, as for all tools, the current layer choice is displayed in a pop-up menu.
The Grid System Settings dialog helps the user to place multiple Grid Elements at the desired locations. The dialog box contains four panels: General Settings, Grid Elements, Naming Rules, Grid Positions. Choose Design > Grid System to open this dialog. The Grid System Settings dialog will preserve the latest settings if you close the dialog with OK button, even if you do not place a grid system.
This Dialog is able to open sub-dialog for elements controlled by the Grid System, such as Grid Element Settings, Column settings, Object Settings, Beam Settings and Dimension Settings.
Choose the first button below Type in the General Settings page of Grid System Settings dialog to create an orthogonal net structure,
or choose the second one to create an arced structure.
The number of grid lines and the spaces between them can be defined in the Grid positions panel. The grid has two dimensions: for an orthogonal net structure, the dimensions are Horizontal grid lines and Vertical grid lines; for an arced net structure, the dimensions are Circular grid lines and the Radial grid lines.
Click the button with the "plus" sign to add a new item to the list of grid lines. Click the button with the "minus" symbol to remove a grid line from the list. The distances can defined either one-by-one or distributed. If you want to define them one-by-one, uncheck the Distribute checkbox and enter the values in the highlighted field. If you want to place the lines with equally distributed distances, check the Distribute checkbox. In the latter case, the distance values set for the grid lines in the list will disappear because these will be calculated automatically based on the start and end points when you place the grid in the plan.
It is possible to distribute grid lines automatically in one direction (for example, the horizontal lines), while defining them individually for the other direction (for example, the vertical lines).
If the grid has an arced structure, you must enter the outer radius of the grid in the Outer radius field of the General Settings panel.
The grid element can be displayed in any view, including the 3D Window.
Floor Plan
To define the stories on which to display the grid, choose Current Story Only, One Story Up, One Story Down, One Story Up & Down, All Stories and Custom from the Show on Story options in the Floor Plan panel of the Grid Element dialog. If you choose Custom, then you must select the stories from the list in the dialog which opens. You can modify this selection later by selecting the Edit Custom... menu item. The three buttons at the top left of the panel are the grid line Representation options (from left to right): hidden, short, or full.
To access this dialog from Grid System Settings, push the Grid Element Settings button on the Grid Elements panel.
You can define the overhangs of grid lines by entering a length value in the Extension field of the Floor Plan and Section panel.
If you check the Auto stagger Grid Markers if they overlap checkbox, then the overlapping markers will be placed with an offset.
You can stagger manually as well, by moving the editable hotspot of the grid line. The default distance of this hotspot from the end of the grid line is equal to the value entered in the Staggering field.
Using the checkboxes in the Markers section of the Grid ElementsSettings panel, you can show or hide all the markers on any of the four sides of the grid. You can set additional properties for markers and lines in the Marker panel. For example you can define the font type and size.
Section/Elevation
The structural grids will be projected to sections and elevations if the grid elements are perpendicular to the section line, if the section is infinite or the grid elements are within its limits, or if the section line intersects the perpendicular grid lines. To project non-perpendicular and circular Grid Elements use the Show non-perpendicular Grid Elements checkbox.
Grid visibility in Sections and Elevations can be set in the Grid Tool panel of the Section or Elevation Settings dialog. If the Grid Tool panel is missing, then you can switch it on in the Work Environment dialog. To do this, open the Work Environment dialog from Options > Work Environment, choose the Section or Elevation Tool in the Tool Settings Dialog Boxes, click on the eye icon to show it, and close the dialog with OK button.
To switch grid visibility off in a section/elevation, uncheck the Show grid elements checkbox in this panel. Grids in the Section or Elevation window can be placed in accordance with the grid's visibility on the Floor Plan, or else by selecting grid elements one by one. If you want to use the grid from a particular story, click the Show Grid Elements by Stories radio button and check the desired stories in the list which appears. If you want to show individual grid elements, click the Show Grid Elements by Names radio button and check the desired grid elements in the list which appears.
Dimension lines can be placed by checking the Dimension lines checkbox. In this case, dimension lines will be placed at the vertical position you define. The dimensions will use the current default sizes and settings as set in Dimension Default Settings.
This dialog controls only which Grid Elements are visible in the section or elevation. To control how the Grid Elements appear on Sections and Elevations, use the Section/Elevation panel of the individual Grid Elements. By default, all Section/Elevation Grid Elements related to one floor plan Grid Element use the same section/elevation settings (General). To change this, select the Grid Element on the section, open its settings, change the dropdown litst's value at the top-left corner to Custom. This way the Grid Element will have a custom appearance on the active section/elevation, while it will use the General settings on all the others.
The top and bottom markers of grid lines can be switched on or off by clicking the respective checkboxes in the marker symbol illustration displayed on the Construction Grid panel.
For Automatic naming, you define a direction in which the naming/numbering sequence should proceed. You also define a Style, enter a Start value, and enter a Prefix or Suffix. After setting the required parameters, click the Apply rules button. The names in the grid lines list will be changed according to the new settings.
In the General Settings panel of the Grid System Settings dialog, four checkboxes are located on the left, representing the Column, Object, Beam and Dimension Tools. To control the properties of the selected element, push the adjacent Settings button and make the settings in the appearing dialog.
You can place a grid element alone, or you can place a whole grid system.
The structural grid is interactive. This means that you can change the grid after placing it, either graphically in the plan, or by editing the selected grid's settings in the Design > Grid System dialog. To do this, select all the grid lines of the grid. This is easier if the grid lines are grouped.
To modify a grid element separately, first ungroup the grouped grid system, select the grid elements you want to modify, then open Grid Element Settings and change the required parameters.
The software is provided to you "AS IS," and you acknowledge that it may contain errors. Graphisoft disclaims any warranty or liability obligations of any kind.