Control Box

Note: The Control Box is not visible by default. It is available at Window > Palettes.

Use the context menu to display this palette in horizontal/vertical or extended/compact form.

The Control Box contains a number of drawing aids in the form of icons.

Use the OK button to confirm the current operation.

Use the Cancel button to abandon the current operation.

The palette’s controls, from left to right:

Guide Lines On/Off

Click the toggle icon in the Control Box to turn Guide Lines display on and off.

ControlGuide.png 

Guide Lines Options

Click the pop-up menu to access Guide Line-related commands.

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Create Guide Line Segment

Remove all Guide Lines

Erase Guide Lines

Relative Construction Methods

The Relative Construction Methods help geometric input by constraining the cursor’s movement to a constant angle or distance as you draft or edit elements.

Click the pop-up arrow in the Control Box to access the seven different Relative Construction Method icons.

ControlRelative.png 

The Parallel, Perpendicular and Angle Bisector methods constrain the cursor’s movement to a constant angle.

Perpendicular: Select an existing edge for a reference line by clicking on it, or draw a new reference line (oriented as needed) using the cursor. Draw the new element perpendicular to the reference line you defined.

Parallel: Select an existing edge for a reference line by clicking on it, or draw a new reference line (oriented as needed) using the cursor. Draw the new element parallel to the reference line you defined.

See Parallel and Perpendicular Constraints for more information.

Angle Bisector Constraint: Define reference vectors; use the same process as with angle dimensioning. Click to start drawing the new element. The mouse is constrained to the bisectorial angle.

See Angle Bisector Constraint for more information.

Use the Offset and the Multiple Offset methods to create a polygonal element that is offset from a reference line.

See Offset and Multiple Offset Constraints (Relative Construction Methods).

The Special Snap Vector method lets you draw a temporary vector that displays your defined special snap points, to aid in accurate placement of elements.

See Snap Points on Temporary Vector.

The Align to Surface method works in 3D only.

ControlAlign.png 

Select an existing surface by clicking on it. Place the element on the section line of the input plane, and the surface you defined.

For more information, see Aligning Elements to a Surface in 3D.

Cursor Snap Variants

This set of icons controls the way the current position of the cursor is projected on the rubber band line constrained to a predefined direction. Cursor Snap becomes active when you start drawing a vector.

For more information, see Projection of Cursor with Mouse Constraints.

Enable/Suspend Groups

These two icons act as a toggle and have the same effect as the Suspend Groups toggle command. If Suspend Groups is active, grouped elements can be selected and edited one by one.

For more information, see Group Elements.

Magic Wand

With the Magic Wand feature, ARCHICAD allows you to trace the outline of shapes for creating elements. Effect of Magic Wand depends on Tool and construction method selections.

For more information, see Magic Wand.

Snap Points (Control Box)

Use this toggle to activate Snap Guides and Snap Points.

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For more information, see Snap Guides and Snap Points.