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SPECIFICATIONS GO HERE
This area of the template is set up for you to add your typical boilerplate specifications,
which can be used for each project either as-is or modified as needed. To replace these
instructions with your actual specifications document, edit the Word document called
Master Specifications.doc which is located in the MasterTemplate Linked Files folder.

1. This Word document is set up so that each page represents one layout sheet, with
columns similar to the ones youll see on the layout. Since Word automatically
flows text as needed from one column and page to another, it will do this as you
replace or edit the content. You may simply copy and paste from your existing
Spec document into the Master Specifications.doc file, and replace all of this
informational text.

2. Note that the size of the page in Word is 50% of the active area of the layout sheet,
and the font size is 50% of the final size on the layout. It is intended that you place
the page image as a PDF and enlarge it to 200% size, to compensate. The reason
this is done in this fashion is that Word has a limit to the page size it allows;
reducing the architectural sheet size by 50% will allow Word to work with the entire
page with all the columns.

3. After you have reworked the Master Specifications.doc, print or save that Word
document as a PDF, overwriting the Master Specifications.pdf file within that same
folder. Then in ArchiCAD, you can simply Update the specifications on the Layout.
The simplest way to do this is to select the File menu / External Content / Drawing
Manager, then highlight all the spec PDF drawings, and click the Update button. If
the spec PDF drawings are not grouped together in the Drawing Manager list, you
may need to sort by Layout or by Source.

4. When the template is first installed, these PDF drawings may be unavailable
because the link paths are different on your computer than on the machine where
they were originally developed. To relink these PDF drawings on your computer, or
to a network location, you should use the Read From option in the Drawing
Manager, which will look for source files from a particular folder or subfolder.
a. The Read From option is available when you first load the file, when ArchiCAD
informs you that the source files for certain drawings are unavailable.
b. You can also go to the Drawing Manager at a later time, however you will
need to be careful to make sure that all the PDF pages are linked
appropriately.
i. Select all the PDF drawings from the Master Specifications.pdf in Drawing
Manager, and you will see the button Link To in the upper left of the
Drawing Manager dialog;
ii. DO NOT click this button, as it would link each drawing to the same page
or column rather than each one showing its individual column
iii. Instead, select one more PDF file in the Drawing Manager list, from a
different source, then the Link To button will change to Read From.
iv. Click the Read From button, and select the MasterTemplate Linked Files
folder to relink the drawings properly to individual pages/columns.

5. If your specifications for a specific project need to be modified from the boilerplate
specs, you may copy the Master Specifications.doc to your Project Library folder.
Rework it in Word as needed, then create a new Master Specifications.pdf file next
to it in your Project Library. Then relink for the project PLN as described in step 4.
Later, to make changes to the specs, do that it in Word, again print or save to
overwrite the PDF, and Update in ArchiCAD.

6. If you need to change the column sizing to accommodate a different size layout
sheet or a different number of columns, modify the page size in Word. Each page
in Word corresponds to the active part of the sheet layout, the area that has the
actual text notes. Since the maximum Word page height is 22, we suggest that
you:
a. Create a custom sized page at 50% of the intended eventual size
b. Use text at half-size (e.g. 5 pt when you want 10 pt on paper)
c. Set the Magnification (scale factor) for each drawing (page or column image)
to 200% to compensate
d. For example, in a 36 x 48 sheet, one may have columns 34 high. Create a
17 high printable area by going to the File menu (within Word) and choosing
Page Setup, then click the Paper tab, and set the height of the page to 17
and make the margins 3/16 (.19) top and bottom. Set the left and right
margins to a similar size (.19). Make the text within the Spec document half
its normal size. Print or save to PDF to make the spec available for placement
onto layout sheets. After placing the PDF page images, select each one or
several at one time, and in the Drawing Settings, change the Magnification to
2:1 or 200%. Adjust the Drawing Frame and placement on the layout sheet if
needed.

7. For more information, please refer to the MasterTemplate Manual, or post a

question on the forum at http://www.actemplate.com.
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