Understanding the ArchiCAD template

- [Voiceover] When we create a new project, the first thing that ArchiCAD asks is what template we want to use. So right now I'm using the standard ArchiCAD template. You may have a different one if you downloaded ArchiCAD in your own language, which I recommend you to do. But what is a template? So the template is a set of preference and settings that we save in a TPL file that we can open and reuse it again, and this will save you a lot of time. But instead of telling you what is the template, I will show you how to create one.

So I'm gonna cancel this, and then I'm gonna open one of the Chapter 06 Exercise Files. And that's because on this file I have all the preference and all the settings that I used throughout this course. So what I'm gonna do is go back to the floorplan, make sure all the layers are unlocked and visible, and I'm gonna delete everything that I have here. Yes, delete everything. And I'm gonna repeat the same on every level.

Now I'm gonna go to the 3-D and delete all the elements that wasn't visible in the plans. Now I can save these as a template. So I'm gonna go first to the Ground Floor and then go to File, Save as, and then choose the ArchiCAD Project Template format, and I'm gonna name it My new template. And then press Save. Now I'm gonna close this. Make sure I don't save it.

And then let's start a new ArchiCAD file. So I'm gonna go File, New, and then New. And then instead of ArchiCAD 20 Template, I'm gonna click here, browse for a template and find the template that I just saved. There I go. Here's my TPL file. I'm gonna select and press New. Now my new project already comes with all this sheets, all the preference and all the settings that I did throughout this course. And that's how a template can save you a lot of time.

You don't have to go through the process of setting up everything again because you already did it once.