How to Create an Archicad Template and What It Should Contain?

An Archicad template lets you establish a common working base for a practice's projects, avoiding the need to configure elements such as layers, attributes, views, Favorites, properties, schedules, layouts or Publisher sets from scratch every time a new project starts.

A well-developed template should not be understood only as a file with preconfigured settings. It should work as an organised working system that makes modelling, documentation, coordination and information delivery easier throughout the project.

How to Create an Archicad Template

Archicad templates are saved in .tpl format and let you reuse settings such as attributes, tool settings, Favorites, properties, classifications, views, layouts, schedules and Publisher sets in future projects.

The goal is to have a consistent base that reduces repetitive tasks and helps the different team members work to the same criteria.

Important: A good template should mainly contain information that is reusable between projects. Avoid including information that belongs exclusively to one specific project, such as sites, coordinates, client names, specific floors or exceptional construction solutions.

Before You Start - Create the Template's Base File

A template is prepared by first working on a normal Archicad project file. On that file you can configure everything you want to reuse and, once it is finished and reviewed, save it as an Archicad Project Template (*.tpl).

You can use as a starting point:

• A new project, if you want to build the template from scratch and keep precise control over every attribute, view and setting included.
• An existing project, if it already has a consolidated working structure you want to reuse.

In both cases, set up the file as you would in any Archicad project: define attributes, layers, views, Favorites, properties, schedules, layouts and any other elements you need.

Important: If you start from an existing project, do not turn it directly into a template. First review and remove the geometry, client information, site data, external references, unnecessary attributes and any other content specific to that project.

Step 1 - Define What the Template Should Solve

Before you start configuring the file in detail, identify which processes you want to standardise. The template should reduce repetitive tasks and set common criteria for the whole team.

For example, you can decide in advance:

• How the layers and layer combinations will be organised.
• Which materials, surfaces, composites and profiles the practice will normally use.
• Which scales and types of documentation are normally produced.
• How views, layouts and publications will be organised.
• Which properties and classifications the elements need.
• What information should appear in labels, schedules and tables.
• Which exchanges are normally carried out via IFC, DWG, PDF or BIMx.

Note: It is best to design the template based on the deliverables you need to produce. Layers, views, properties or Favorites should respond to a real project need, not exist simply because Archicad allows you to create them.

Step 2 - Configure the Project Preferences

Review the general preferences that will be common to most of your projects.

Among others, check:

• Working units.
• Dimensioning units and criteria.
• Calculation units.
• Calculation rules.
• Zone settings.
• Reference levels.
• Stair rules and standards, where applicable.
• Settings related to MEP, when they form part of the workflow.

Important: Certain settings must be reviewed for each project. Geographic location, orientation, survey point, reference levels or certain calculation rules can vary and should not be assumed automatically for every project.

Step 3 - Organise the Attributes

Attributes are one of the most important parts of a template, since they determine both the graphic representation and the behaviour of many elements in the model.

Review and organise, at a minimum:

• Layers.
• Layer combinations.
• Pens and colours.
• Pen sets.
• Line types.
• Fills.
• Surfaces.
• Building materials.
• Composite structures.
• Complex profiles.
• Zone categories.
• MEP systems, where needed.

Define a consistent naming convention and make sure attributes mean the same thing in every project that uses the template.

Note: Avoid importing attributes indiscriminately from old projects. This can create duplicates, inconsistencies, unnecessary materials or attributes with different names that do exactly the same job.

Step 4 - Create a Coherent Layer Structure

Layers should make it easier to control visibility and produce documentation, not simply become a classification of Archicad's tools.

When defining them, think about how you will need to show or hide information in different situations, for example:

• General drawings.
• Floor plans.
• Finishes floor plans.
• Ceiling plans.
• Detail documentation.
• Coordination with other disciplines.
• Auxiliary information or external references.

Then create the layer combinations needed to quickly recall each visibility setting.

Recommendation: Try to keep the number of layers under control. A simple, understandable structure is usually more effective than an extremely detailed one the team cannot apply consistently.

Step 5 - Configure Materials, Composites and Profiles

Include the construction systems that recur frequently in the practice's projects.

For example:

• Common exterior walls.
• Interior partitions.
• Slabs.
• Roofs.
• Finish solutions.
• Metal profiles or recurring construction elements.

Pay particular attention to the relationship between building materials, intersection priorities, fills and surfaces.

Important: The template does not need to contain every possible construction solution. Include only those that can be considered the practice's standards, and create project-specific solutions when each project's needs require it.

Step 6 - Define Properties and Classifications

Properties let you add non-geometric information to the model and use it later in labels, schedules, checks or IFC exchanges.

It is best to define the properties that are used recurrently, for example:

• Internal codes or references.
• Element type.
• Finishes.
• Technical characteristics.
• Door and window information.
• Data needed for schedules.
• Information required for BIM exchange.

Also use a classification system suited to the practice's work or the projects' requirements.

Note: Do not create properties simply because they might be useful at some point. Each property should respond to a specific need for information, documentation, measurement, coordination or delivery.

Step 7 - Create Favorites

Favorites let you save common tool settings so you can reuse them consistently.

You can prepare Favorites for elements such as:

• Walls.
• Slabs.
• Roofs.
• Doors and windows.
• Zones.
• Dimensions.
• Labels.
• Texts.
• Recurring objects.

Set up their layers, materials, pens, properties, classifications and other parameters correctly to keep manual adjustments to a minimum during modelling.

Recommendation: Organise Favorites into folders and use names that are easy to understand. The goal is for any team member to be able to quickly find the element they need.

Step 8 - Prepare the Display Options

The same geometry may need to be represented in different ways depending on the scale, phase or purpose of the layout.

Configure in advance, where necessary:

• Model View Options.
• Layer combinations.
• Pen sets.
• Graphic Overrides.
• Renovation filters.
• Dimensioning preferences.
• Floor plan cut plane.

These settings can later be used to generate Views with a predictable, repeatable representation.

Step 9 - Organise the View Map

The View Map should represent the documentation structure you will normally use.

For example:

• 01 - Working
• 02 - Floor Plans
• 03 - Sections
• 04 - Elevations
• 05 - Details
• 06 - Schedules
• 07 - Coordination
• 08 - Visualisation

Each view must correctly save its scale, layer combination, pen set, Model View Options, Graphic Overrides, filters and any other settings needed.

Important: For final documentation, use Saved Views. This preserves the specific combination of scale, layers, pens, display options and other settings needed to reproduce the document correctly.

Step 10 - Prepare Schedules and Lists

Configure the Interactive Schedules that are normally used to extract information from the model.

Some examples are:

• Area schedule.
• Zone schedule.
• Door schedule.
• Window schedule.
• Element schedule.
• Property check.
• Classification check.
• Internal model checks.

Set up both the selection criteria and the fields shown so the schedules can be used immediately in new projects.

Step 11 - Prepare Master Layouts and the Layout Book

Configure one or more Master Layouts with the practice's usual graphic elements:

• Title block.
• Logo.
• Margins.
• Project information via Autotext.
• Layout information.
• Revisions, where needed.

You can also prepare a basic structure for the Layout Book, but avoid creating an excessive number of empty layouts if they depend on each project.

Recommendation: Use Autotexts wherever possible. This way, information such as the project name, layout number, revision or date can update automatically and does not need to be edited manually on every layout.

Step 12 - Configure the Publisher Sets

The Publisher lets you organise and repeat the generation of documentation using previously defined settings.

You can create separate sets for:

• PDF.
• DWG.
• IFC.
• BIMx.
• Other formats the project needs.

Configure the folder structure, formats, file names and export settings wherever possible.

Note: Publisher sets let you repeat a delivery without having to select every document again. This reduces manual work and helps keep a consistent naming convention.

Step 13 - Review Interoperability

If you work with other programs or disciplines, prepare the exchange settings that can be reused.

Check in particular:

• IFC Translators.
• Property mapping.
• Classification conversion.
• Material and surface conversion.
• Export settings.
• Filters for the model that will be exchanged.

Important: There is not necessarily a single IFC setup that is valid for every project. Exchange requirements must be checked with the other project participants, and the translators adapted where necessary.

Step 14 - Review the Libraries

Check which libraries the template needs and avoid including unnecessary content.

If you use the practice's own objects, set up a consistent location and naming convention so they can be maintained and updated independently.

Note: Avoid using the Embedded Library as a general store for the practice's objects. It is better to keep corporate objects in clearly managed libraries and use the embedded library only when there is a specific reason to do so.

Step 15 - Clean Up the File Before Turning It Into a Template

Before saving the file as .tpl, do a final review to make sure it only contains information that genuinely makes sense to reuse in future projects.

If you started from an existing project, check for and remove, where applicable:

• Geometry specific to the original project.
• Client names.
• Addresses.
• Coordinates and site data.
• External references.
• Linked files.
• Project-specific images or documents.
• Confidential information.
• Duplicated or unused attributes.
• Favorites that only make sense for that project.

Important: Use this review to simplify the template. Reference projects tend to accumulate attributes, views, elements and settings that do not necessarily need to become a standard for future projects.

Step 16 - Save the File as a Template

1. Check that the file contains only the settings and elements you want to reuse.
2. Go to File > Save as.
3. Select the Archicad Project Template (*.tpl) format.
4. Give the template a clear name.
5. Save the file in a location that is identified and accessible to the users who need to use it.

From that point on you can use the .tpl file as a base for starting new projects.

Important: To edit the template later, you must open the .tpl file directly. If you create a new project from the template, the changes you make will only affect that project, not the original template.

Step 17 - Test the Template Before Distributing It

Before considering a template finished, create a new project from it and simulate the usual operations of a real project.

Check, at a minimum:

• Creating elements using Favorites.
• Visibility via layer combinations.
• Representation at different scales.
• Creating floor plans, sections and elevations.
• Labels and dimensions working correctly.
• Generating schedules.
• Placing views on layouts.
• Updating title blocks and Autotexts.
• Publishing PDFs.
• IFC or DWG export, where it forms part of the normal workflow.

This test lets you catch incomplete settings or inconsistencies before the template starts being used on real projects.

What a Good Template Should Contain

As a reference, check that the template includes the elements that are genuinely needed for the usual workflow:

• Correctly defined project preferences.
• A coherent structure of layers and combinations.
• Building materials.
• Surfaces.
• Composite structures.
• Common complex profiles.
• Pen sets.
• Model View Options.
• Graphic Overrides.
• Favorites.
• Properties and classifications.
• Interactive schedules.
• An organised View Map.
• Master Layouts.
• A basic Layout Book structure.
• Publisher Sets.
• Needed IFC Translators.
• Common labels, markers and graphic criteria.
• Correctly managed libraries.

What a Template Should Not Contain

Unless there is a specific reason, avoid including:

• Information about previous clients.
• Specific addresses or site data.
• Coordinates from previous projects.
• Geometry that is not genuinely reusable.
• Unnecessary external references.
• Duplicated objects.
• Imported attributes that have not been reviewed.
• Exceptional construction solutions.
• Properties that are never used.
• Layouts or views that are not part of the normal workflow.

Recommended Methodology

A template should evolve alongside the way the practice works. We recommend:

• Keeping a master template in a controlled location.
• Clearly defining who can edit it.
• Using a version naming convention to identify the template's different revisions.
• Avoiding modifying the template for every one-off project need.
• Recording important changes made in each version.
• Reviewing it when new workflows are adopted.
• Reviewing it when migrating to a new major version of Archicad.
• Testing changes before distributing a new version.
• Informing the team of changes that affect the way they work.

Tip: A template is not finished when it contains a lot of settings, but when it lets you start a project quickly and produce information consistently, without forcing the user to keep correcting the initial setup.