In addition, there are a large number of parameters that can be used to fine-tune the shell as required. The recent 3D interface enhancements, which will be discussed in more detail in a later section, make it much easier to create and edit shell profiles in the 3D window. The shell profiles can be created in any view and can also be edited graphically in any view to modify the resulting form. Each option has both a simple construction method for creating a basic shell of that type quickly, and a more detailed construction method, which allows you to draw a more complex profile for creating the shell.

It has three different geometry options, Extruded, Revolved, and Ruled, which allow you to model a wide variety of forms. The Shell tool is the main new freeform BIM tool introduced in ArchiCAD 15. Let's start by looking at the Shell tool.

It is precisely this that ArchiCAD 15 sets out to achieve, with a new Shell tool that allows freeform BIM elements to be created, a greatly expanded Roof tool, as well as interface enhancements that make 3D modeling, editing, and navigation easier and more accurate. Ideally, it should be possible to create freeform building shapes directly in the BIM model, so that any required change can be made directly to that model rather than to a separate conceptual model. Thus, any change to the form of the building has to be applied to the conceptual mass first and is then propagated to the BIM model, resulting in an interrupted, less-than-optimal workflow. In contrast, BIM has the potential to be a full 3D design and documentation tool, but so far, it has been limited in its capability to enable architects to freely conceptualize and design buildings with non-traditional forms.īIM programs such as Revit have greatly improved their conceptual modeling tools in recent releases, but in most cases, the freeform capabilities can only be applied to the conceptual model, which is then used to generate the BIM model.

Newer examples from the pre-BIM era were accomplished using CAD, which had the advantage of being able to draw freeform shapes but did not provide any assistance with the design process as such, since it did not carry any intelligence about the elements it was representing. Many older examples were designed using paper and pencil alone, which had the advantage of being able to represent almost anything. ArchitectureWeek - Tools - ArchiCAD 15: Part 1 - 2011.1214

Archicad 15