ARCHICAD Tutorials with a Difference
The tutorials on this website are built around the ARCHICAD Best Practices methods pioneered by Eric Bobrow, the world’s leading ARCHICAD educator with 30 years experience as a reseller, trainer and consultant.
Bobrow’s tutorials show the workflow and context for “getting stuff done” rather than focusing on isolated commands and dialog boxes. Clear demonstrations show the processes step by step while carefully explaining the options and reasons for each important choice, setting or click.
Unique Features of This Website
Most tutorials include a transcript that makes it easy to scan the contents and find sections for quick access. This also facilitates usage by people with hearing challenges or who are not fluent in English.
Opt-in to Eric Bobrow’s ARCHICAD Tutorials email list for additional free resources including downloadable checklists, example files and components you can import into your own projects. After you opt in, you’ll see these resources accompanying many of the tutorials.
How to Create An Energy Orientation Area Report with A Graphic Override Visual Audit
Learn how to total up areas of exterior walls, doors & windows based on orientation for energy analysis - creating a custom Orientation property, defining a custom schedule, and setting up a Graphic Override to check if everything is tagged consistently and completely.
This is a classic how-to showing step by step how to combine multiple parts of Archicad to get something useful done.
Tracker Tricks to Speed Up Your ARCHICAD Work!
ArchiCAD's Tracker facilitates on-screen, on the fly entry of coordinates and dimensions. This 24 minute ArchiCAD tutorial video starts with the basics then demonstrates and explains cool time-saving tricks and methods used by ArchiCAD experts. BONUS: Free cheat sheet download!
How to Create A New Custom Surface from A Photo
An interesting question was sent in to my ARCHICAD Coaching Program by California architect Luis Barrios asking how to create custom Surfaces using photos of stained glass windows from a church that he's renovating. He wanted to include these artwork images in his 3D views as well as rendered elevation drawings.
Watch this 36 minute video to learn how to integrate artwork images in ARCHICAD 3d views as well as rendered elevation drawings. BONUS: Free step by step PDF guide available for download!
ARCHICAD Coaching: How to Create a Custom Feature Window from Multiple Ganged or Stacked Windows
Learn how to create your own unique custom window by combining several standard library windows, allowing this feature window to show up properly in schedules. Adapted from a question sent in to my ARCHICAD Coaching Program in which I help ARCHICAD users apply my Best Practices methods in the context of real world projects.
A Classic ARCHICAD Tutorial: How to Model Better in 3D and Draw Less in 2D
A real classic from the ARCHICAD Tutorial archives! Learn key principles and methods for creating your 3D model cleanly in ArchiCAD with a sufficient level of detail that you will not have to draw much in 2D to create beautiful and accurate sections and elevations.
How to Use ARCHICAD Morphs for Facade and Trim
Learn how to use ArchiCAD's Morph tool, a powerful and flexible modeling element. See how morphs can be quickly adapted for use as a trimming tool (creating a sculptured top for a wall), surface trim as in Tudor-style houses, and moulded casings around doors and windows.
How to Trace 2D Drawings to Quickly Create a 3D ARCHICAD Model
Learn how to bring in 2D drawings such as DWG files as a tracing reference to make it easy and fast to create an accurate 3D model. This approach can be used for modeling existing buildings from CAD files, or taking a design from 2D CAD into a 3D model quickly for presentations or model coordination.
Basic Terrain and Site Modeling in ARCHICAD
Learn how to accurately create a site model from an imported survey using the Mesh and Slab tools and add basic landscaping with the Object tool. Place a DWG or PDF survey file into a Worksheet and use it as a Trace Reference to precisely model your site topography; use Solid Element Operations (SEO) to cut out volumes where the building is placed.
How to Model Roofs in ARCHICAD – In Depth Tutorial For A Wide Variety of Roof Types
Learn how to model a wide variety of roof types and conditions in ARCHICAD in this in-depth tutorial by ARCHICAD master Eric Bobrow. Covers settings, placement and editing. Created in ArchiCAD 15 however these methods apply to ALL later versions.
ARCHICAD Design | Views 4 – 3D Cutaways and Selective Views
This tutorial (21 minutes) demonstrates how to set up 3D cutaways in a wide variety of ways, plus explores options to selectively display elements by layer, type, story or renovation status. Use these for design and presentation.
ARCHICAD Design | Views 3 – Lighting Tricks & Surface Studies
In this 24 minute video, I share some of my favorite quick tricks to optimize lighting and adjust Surface settings to improve your ARCHICAD 3D window views. PLUS: Swap in and out different sets of Surfaces to study and compare schemes!
ARCHICAD Design | Views 2 – Rendered Elevations & Site Plans
This tutorial (19 minutes) demonstrates interesting new ARCHICAD View options that allow you to use the same Elevation and Section markers for both rendered (shaded) views and construction document drawings. You'll also see some easy ways to add accurate or graphic shadows to add depth to a presentation site plan.
ARCHICAD Design | Views 1: Simplified Drawings and Sketches
In this first tutorial in the new ARCHICAD Design | Views series (24 minutes) I demonstrate how you can set up simplified or sketch-style drawings in ARCHICAD for client meetings and proposals. Sometimes it's advantageous to show less detail - or give a feeling of tentative, preliminary design - rather than use a hard-edged, overly detailed view.
New ARCHICAD Tutorials Website Launched – An Educational Resource for ARCHICAD Users
I'm pleased to offer another educational resource website for ARCHICAD users that is in the works!More details will be announced[...]