Working in Tool Settings Dialog Boxes
Tool settings dialog boxes can be accessed from the Toolbox, the Info Box palette, or from context menus. They contain the settings that define the appearance and parameters of the elements drawn using the tools.
There are several ways to open a tool’s settings dialog box:
•Double-click the tool icon in the Toolbox.
•Click the tool icon in the Info Box.
•With an element selected, choose Edit > Element Settings > (Tool) Settings.
•Click an element with the right mouse button (MacOS: Ctrl key), and choose the (Tool) Selection Settings command from the appearing Context menu.
The title bar of the dialog box displays whether you are viewing Default settings or those of Selected elements.
The information at right of a tool settings dialog box alerts you to the status of the current settings in the box:
•Default: These settings will be used as the default for new elements.
•Selected: These settings are applied to the currently selected elements (the number of selected elements is displayed).
•Editable: Displays the number of selected elements which are also editable.
Favorites Button in Tool Settings
The Favorites button in the top left corner of all Tool Settings dialog boxes (except Camera) opens a list of the favorite settings saved for that tool only.
Click the Favorites button to open the Apply Favorites dialog box. Choose the desired Favorite and click Apply.
ArchiCAD comes with predefined Favorite settings for each tool, and you can define your own Favorites.
For more information, see Favorites.
Panel Visibility in Tool Settings
The settings for each tool are organized into several panels that can be opened or closed individually by clicking the caption of the panel. You can also choose to show or hide any of the panels, if you prefer, at: Options > Work Environment > Tool Settings Dialog Boxes.
See Tool Settings Dialog Box Customization.
When you open new panels, some visible panels may shut automatically, and/or the dialog box will move upward on the screen to prevent an overcrowded or too-large dialog box. To turn off these automatic functions, set the checkboxes in Options > Work Environment > Dialog Boxes and Palettes.
For details, see Dialog Boxes and Palettes.
Navigating Within Tool Settings Panels
A few keyboard shortcuts make it easy to navigate in any of the Tool Settings dialog boxes:
•To open and close the unfoldable settings groups within a particular panel, use the right- and left-arrow keys.
•To move from one setting field to the next within a particular panel, use the up- and down-arrow keys.
•As you move onto the next field, the edit field is already highlighted, so you can type in values directly.
•To activate/deactivate a checkbox in the current field, use the Spacebar.
•To open the pop-up menu indicated by an arrow icon (such as a Fill Type or Pen Color chooser), press Alt + Down Arrow. Press ESC to close.
•To exit a settings list within a particular panel, press TAB.
•To jump to the next panel or control, press TAB. To jump to the preview panel/control, use Shift+TAB.
Layer Definition in Tool Settings
At the bottom of each Tool Settings dialog box, the current Layer choice is displayed in a drop-down list. To change the current element’s layer, choose a different layer in this pop-up menu.
For more information, see Layers.
This Panel is found in the Settings dialog boxes of all the design and documenting Tools, and controls the handling of the current Tool in calculations.
For more information on calculations, see Calculation.
Calculation Controls
For more information on the Calculation function, see Calculation and the ArchiCAD 18/GRAPHISOFT Documentation/Calculation Guide.pdf.
•Link Properties by Criteria: Use this control to link a Property Object to the element for calculations.
•Individually: Check this box to assign additional information, such as strengthened reinforcement, to selected items, or to create an assignment outside of the norm of the criteria; the Choose button becomes active. Use this to link a single Property Object to this element. (To link multiple Property Objects, use the By Criteria option.)
Label (Element): Check this box to add an associative label to the element. Uncheck it to remove the label. The Label Settings button then becomes active.
Label Settings: Click this button to open the Label Settings dialog box. Only the associative label for this tool will be editable.
For more information, see Label Tool Settings.
Note: Layout Settings has a similar panel with different options.
For details, see Tags and Categories Panel (Layout Settings)
ID: Type an ID in this box for tracking this element in Quantity Calculations.
The ID field serves to identify and group elements in list views. The text string within this field cannot exceed 15 characters. Any character can be used.
If a number is included anywhere in the 15 characters, ArchiCAD will add one to this number for each new element drawn, provided that the Auto ID Increase checkbox is enabled in the Options > Work Environment > More Options dialog box. Each new element will have a unique ID.
If elements are duplicated or multiplied, the IDs of the replicas will remain the same as those of the originals.
If you paste elements into a Project, you may have elements with conflicting IDs. ArchiCAD does not automatically exclude ID conflicts. It is up to the user to designate different IDs for elements that may be in conflict.
IDs can be customized both before creating elements and after selecting a number of existing ones, by using Document > Schedules and Lists > Element ID Manager.
For more information, see ID Management.
Note: All construction elements also have a globally unique, automatically generated ID which is conserved throughout the life of the Project. You can use this identifier for labeling or in lists.
The next three controls are available for all construction elements. These allow the user to precisely define the function of an element, so that the ArchiCAD model is interpreted accurately when exchanging data with other applications.
For more information, see Classification in the Interoperability section of ArchiCAD Help.
•Structural Function: The default option is “Undefined.” Optionally, define the element as either a “Load-Bearing Element” or a “Non-Load-Bearing Element” part of the building. (Replaces “Structural Property” add-on from ArchiCAD 13.)
If you have classified model elements as “Load-Bearing”, then you can use the Partial Structure Display “Core of Load-Bearing Elements Only” option to display those elements only.
See Partial Structure Display.
If you collaborate with partners who are using structural programs and export your ArchiCAD model to IFC format, the Structural Function classification automatically adds the “load-bearing” property to structural elements in the export file.
See Export Data from ArchiCAD.
•Position: The default option is “Undefined.” Optionally, define the element as either an “Exterior” or an “Interior” part of the building. This is useful to streamline coordination with energy analysis applications.
You can search for elements by their Position classification, using the criteria of the Find & Select dialog box
•Element Classification: Each ArchiCAD element type has a default counterpart in IFC (which is used if you apply the default “ArchiCAD Type” option here).
You can assign any other IFC type to the element - for example, if there is no specific ArchiCAD tool corresponding to the IFC element type you want to map it to.
You can search for elements by their IFC element type classification, using the criteria of the Find & Select dialog box.
•Classification by DIN: Set this value (Area A, B, C, or Undefined) in the Tags and Categories section of Morph Settings. Available only in Morph Settings, and only if you are using the Flachenberechnung Add-On (used in German-speaking markets).
Renovation Controls
Renovation Status: This control is available only for a selected element. (In Default Settings, the note “Use palette to set default” indicates that the Renovation Palette can be used to set a default Renovation Status for all elements.)
For a selected element, use this pop-up to assign a Renovation Status: Existing, New, or To be Demolished.
By default, this option, for a selected element, is set to “All Relevant Filters.” That is, this element will be shown, hidden, or shown with an override, depending on its Renovation Status and on the Renovation Filter in effect. However, you can restrict the display of any selected construction element to one Renovation Filter only: use this Show on Renovation Filter control to choose one particular Renovation Filter; this element will exist in that Renovation Filter only.
For more information, see Renovation.
IFC-Related Controls
This part of the Element Settings dialog box displays IFC Properties and Element Type Properties assigned to the selected ArchiCAD element. These property and attribute assignments help to optimize your ArchiCAD model for data exchange with other applications. For a full discussion of the IFC features in ArchiCAD.
See Working with IFC.
See IFC Attributes for a definition.
See IFC Element Types for a definition.