On the ArchiCAD Help Menu, beneath the first two items, you will find two lists of items.
The first list consists of links to PDFs, including the ArchiCAD manuals. The PDFs reside in the Documentation folder within the ArchiCAD folder. Any PDF placed in this folder will appear in the menu.
The second consists of links to web sites. The links reside in the WWWLinks folder within the ArchiCAD folder. Any link placed in this folder will appear in the menu.
Update: I have expanded on this topic here". I have strikethrough'd the really wrong bits here.
(I am planning a tech meeting for this topic the week of the fifth.)
Q What is a detail window.
A new kind of window in AC8. A hybrid of a section window and a patch.
Like a patch, they can be generated from existing geometry. Like a section, they can be renewed. Unlike a section, they cannot be model views, only drawings.
Q What are they for.
At 3 Resources/AC Program Files you will find AC8.1 v1 1410 USA Updater, an update patch for 8.1. Go ahead and run it. It requires a restart. I have no idea why.
Forgot something else...
In 8.1, we have the option of placing a marquee to limit the print area, instead of fiddling with the window itself.
Click 'Copies and Pages' and select 'ArchiCAD' to view these options.
As far as I know, this option has always existed, but I've only fully internalized it recently.
Try this display option in your working plans and sections views:
It causes walls in plan, and all elements in section, to display as solid fill of the pen of the fill pattern. In plan, this means that only the corner of the wall itself can be detected, not the inside drywall corner. This eliminates the problem of accidentally aligning counters, floor fills, and such to the core of a stud wall.
I have taken the liberty of changing the working views in the templates to employ this option.
This is about four years old but I wanted to explicitly point it out...
All the attribute-related options on the Options menu (Pens and Colors, Line Types, etc.) use the Ctrl+Opt+Cmd modifier combination with the initial letter of the attribute.
Update: A couple of these (notably materials and composites) broke in AC9 due to conflicts with default shortcuts in OS X. Pens and fills still work. Keep the Attributes toolbar on.
Obsolete. We're not using cach libraries at this time.
It's good to have the libraries on the server so we are all up to date all the time. But loading libraries from the network is slow. This is a big problem when updating views in PlotMaker. The satellite library is an attempt to have it both ways. It has been bumpy in the past, but I've tried it again and can cautiously recommend it.
Forgot something...
The copy transformation modifier key is now Option instead of Command. Instead of drag a copy being Cmd+D+Cmd, it's Cmd+D+Opt. Same for mirror and rotate.
Update: For AC10 I put the quick layers commands in the main toolbar, so you don't need the palette.
Window | Floating Palettes | Show Quick Layers (Ctrl+L).
The Quick Layers palette enables you to:
Unhelpfully:
• Toggle the display of all the layers. All the showing layers become hidden, all the hidden layers show. Shrug.
• Ditto for lock/unlock. Shrug.
Very helpfully, under 'Selection's Layer':
• Hide, lock, or unlock the layer of selected elements, even for multiple layers at a time. Similar to the 'Layer' sub-context menu.
Unhelpfully again:
� Hide or lock all layers. Big shrug.
The palette will close when you quit ArchiCAD, unlike the standard palettes. Just reactivate it when you start with Ctrl+L.
AC8.1 improves Composites substantially. A summary.
Starting Monday, Dec. 8, we will be moving to ArchiCAD 8.1 and PlotMaker 3.1. This is a relatively minor feature update, with noticeable performance and interface improvements. No, it's not perfect, but it is better. Unlike the 7 to 8 update, we will move current projects over.
Don't forget: In AC8, the escape key now performs the cancel function. This makes it consistent with all other software in the solar system. 99% of the time, hitting ESC will be faster than mousing over to the Cancel button, or right-click-canceling.
It's also another beautiful, inspiring, timeless, indestructible tower on the magisterial edifice that is The Keyboard, as compared to the moldy-straw-1st-little-pig-shack of Mousing Around Clicking Buttons, Menus, Sub-menus, and Sub-sub-menus.
In other words, learn the shortcuts, and use them. And we'll plan our escape.