ArchiTiles is a plug-in for tiling floors, ceilings and walls. Using the Zone tool, you can define the room you want to elaborate, then, selecting the zone and clicking on the Create Interior Elevations tool icon, you can get all the unfolded interior fronts that surround the room together with the plan of the floor and the ceiling.

On these interior fronts, ArchiTiles highlights, using fills, the surfaces you want covered with your preferred tiles. The covering methods provide you with three options. You can cover the whole surface of the wall, or cover it up to three different rows of customizable height which will be covered with different tiles and/or patterns.

On these front, you will able to define the tile pattern by selecting it from a large collection of the most common used patterns (predefined but fully parametric). You can also define your own pattern and build up your personal collection of patterns.

ArchiTiles obviously recognizes and elaborates the shape of the wall and will automatically cut the tiles when needed and dispose them only where is required by avoiding doors and windows.
Quantity data and bitmap images can be linked to these files so that you will have full control both on the photo-rendering phases and on the bill of materials.

Full freedom also regarding the tile creation: you can use the most common shapes (square, rectangular, perfect polygon) but you can also design your own free-shaped tiles.All the information linked to the tile (name, code, producer, price, number of tiles in a box) can be displayed in the list templates provided by ArchiTiles.

The ArchiTiles environment...

ArchiTiles provides you with a new tool palette and adds a new tool icon to the standard ArchiCAD tool palette.
 

Using the tool from the ArchiTiles palette, you will able to:

• Build your tile objects
• Automatically create the room interior elevations
• Automatically create the room floor and ceiling plans
• Use the standard tile pattern library to tile the surfaces
• Create and use your own custom tile library to tile the surfaces
• Cut the tiles
• Automatically rotate and insert the tiles inside the original room
• Automatically insert the floor/ceiling tiles inside the original room
  

Using the new Tile tool from the standard ArchiCAD palette, you will able to browse your tile library and handle these tile objects like all other ArchiCAD library parts.

Building The Tiles

The first step in the tiling process is to construct the tiles objects that you will use in your ArchiCAD room.  ArchiTiles provides you with 4 different tools to choose from, in order to construct the tiles of your choice.
In the upper area you can define the tile sizes. In the bottom area you can define the material surface:

• You can choose an ArchiCAD material, or
• You can create a custom material/texture for your tile

Clicking in the Calculation Mode button you can change the dialog box from parameter information to calculation information. Here you can enter the producer name, the tile code, the currency you work with, and the price.

Custom Tiles

The Custom Tile tool allows the user to create tiles of any shape. Use the ArchiCAD Fill tool to design the shape of your tile. Draw the fill according to you desired specifications, because the measurements of your tile depend on the measurements of the fill's design.

Once you have drawn the shape, select the fill and click on the Custom Tile tool icon.
ArchiTiles will display the tile parameter/calculation dialog box where you can define all the required tile parameters.

Creating Elevations

Once you have built your tiles, it is the time to define the location where you wish to place them.

You must use the Zone tool within an ArchiCAD room, so that the room you wish to tile contains one unique zone. Select the zone and click on the Create Interior Elevations icon.

This dialog box gives the user three options for creating interior elevations:

• SIMPLE FULL FILLING (the user will be able to tile over the entire surface of the elevations)
• FILLING UP TO THREE ROWS (divides the elevations in up to three rows of fills that can be laid with different tile patterns)
• ELEVATIONS WITHOUT FILLING (an extra tool to simply create interior elevations from an ArchiCAD room)
  

Click OK and use the pencil cursor to designate the location on the plan where the elevation will be placed...

Tiling the Floor and Ceiling

Select the zone and click on the Tile Floor/Ceiling icon.
Select if you wish to create the pavement or ceiling by clicking on the appropriate radio button.
You can also select the pen colors and the layer.
Click on OK.
The cursor will become a pencil, and you will have to click on the plan to designate where you wish to place the fill that represents the floor or ceiling.

Selecting Tile Patterns and Laying the Tiles

Once your fills are ready, It is time to lay tiles!
Select the fill you want to tile. You can select one fill at a time, or select multiple fills to lay a specific tile in various parts of your interior elevations/floors/ceilings at once. Once you have selected your fill(s) click on the Tile Pattern icon. This dialog displays various tile patterns that you can choose from.

Scroll the window until you find the pattern you desire, and then click on it. In the displayed dialog box, choose the desired tiles and configure the grout thickness/material. Click to confirm the changes.

To lay the tiles, click on a selected fill. The first click designates the origin where the tiles will start to be laid on the fill. Move the cursor and click again to designate the tile laying angle.
Once you have finished, ArchiTiles will lay the tiles on all the selected fills.

Design Your Own Pattern

If you wish to use a pattern that is not included in the ArchiTiles pattern list, or you have created a custom tile that does not fit in one of the standard ArchiTile patterns, you will need to design your own pattern. Creating a custom pattern is very simple.You can also create complex patterns by using the tile objects in your library and the "special" ArchiTiles Multiply command.

• Select the tiles you want to tile and the fill representing the surface to cover
• Click on the ArchiTiles Custom Tile Laying icon and define the pattern settings
• Click OK to confirm the settings
• Click to designate the origin, move the cursor and click again to designate the tile laying angle
• Once you have finished, ArchiTiles will lay the tiles on all the selected fills.

Cut the Tiles

If you wish to cut the tiles, simply draw a fill to define the area you want to cut. Then select both the fill and the tile(s) you want to cut and click on the ArchiTiles Cut Tiles tool .

In the displayed dialog box choose if you want to cut the area inside or outside the fill outline by clicking on the appropriate radio button and then click OK. ArchiTiles immediately cuts the tiles as required.

Rotating the Tiles

ArchiTiles gives the ArchiCAD user the ability to, with one command, rotate all the interior elevations and paste them into the original room. Select all the created tiles and click on the Create Elevations tool icon from the ArchiTiles palette. That's all! Simple, isn't it?

Create Floor/Ceiling

Select the inserted tiles and click on the Create Floor/Ceiling icon. The tiled floor will now be automatically placed in the original room.