Answers to the most common questions about archiSum. For pre-purchase questions, see the FAQ on the product page.
Which property should I group by?
Whatever property identifies an apartment uniquely in your project. Most teams use a custom 'Apartment Number' property; others use Zone ID or Zone Number. archiSum works with any property you use consistently: pick the one your schedules and tags already rely on.
Why are some zones excluded from the total?
A zone is excluded if it doesn't pass your filters: wrong layer, wrong category, or a property-based exclusion. Open the Summary dialog and scroll to the Excluded Zones section: each entry lists the reason. Adjust your filters until only the right zones are counted.
Measured vs calculated area: which should I use?
Match your regulatory requirement. Measured area is the raw polygon area. Calculated area respects Archicad's reductions for low ceilings, sloped surfaces, and excluded regions. Residential regulations in many countries use calculated area; check local rules.
Can I run archiSum silently in a script?
Yes: use Silent mode to skip all dialogs and apply immediately. Useful for batch processing many files with the same rule. For interactive use, Popup gives a quick confirmation and Full verification opens the Summary dialog for thorough review.
What if I apply and realize my filter was wrong?
Hit Edit > Undo in Archicad: all property writes go through the undo stack, so a single undo reverts the entire operation. You don't lose anything permanently; fix the filter and run again.
Can archiSum write to multiple properties at once?
No: each run writes to one target property. For multiple outputs (e.g. apartment total AND net-countable total), run archiSum twice with different filter/property combinations.
Does archiSum work on zones I didn't create (imported, hotlinked)?
Yes, as long as the zones are in the current file and have the grouping property filled in. Hotlinked module zones behave like regular zones for summation purposes.
Can I preview which zones will be affected?
Yes: click Preview in the main palette. Affected zones highlight visually in the viewport so you can verify the filter before committing.
What decimal precision should I use?
Match your project's general area precision: typically 2 decimals for square meters. archiSum respects whatever precision you set, rounding totals accordingly.