One of the most important elements in architectural drawings is the Drawing Frame (Master Layout).

In Archicad, each drawing layout is assigned a Master Layout.

• The Master Layout defines the drawing size.

• All elements in the Master Layout will appear on any layouts that use it.

• Mastering this feature helps you keep your drawings clean, consistent, and time-efficient.

Master Layouts are located in the Masters folder within the Layout Book.
Archicad provides some default Master Layouts — you can use them directly, or create and customize your own according to your company’s standards.

Open Master Layout

To open a Master Layout:

• Navigate to the Masters folder in the Layout Book.

• Double-click the Master Layout you want to open.

Alternatively, to open the Master Layout currently assigned to your active layout:

• Right-click on the Layout window and select Open Assigned Master Layout, or

• Go to Document > Layout Book > Open Assigned Master Layout.

Set a Default Master Layout

When you set a Master Layout as default, any new layout you create will automatically use it as the drawing frame.

To set a Master Layout as default:

• Right-click the desired Master Layout and choose Set as Default, or

• Open its settings, tick Set as Default for New Layouts, and click OK.

Assign a Master Layout to a Drawing Layout

You can assign a Master Layout to a specific layout in one of the following ways:

• Drag and drop a Master Layout onto a layout.

• Or drag and drop a layout onto a Master Layout.

• Or select a layout, then choose a Master Layout from the settings panel below.

Create a New Master Layout

To create a new Master Layout:

• Go to Document > Layout Book > New Master Layout

• Right-click the Masters folder and select New Master Layout

• Click the New Master Layout button in the Navigator toolbar.

  

Master Layout Setting

After creating a new Master Layout, open the Settings panel and configure the basic parameters.

Name and Size

• Name: Enter the name of the Master Layout.

• Size: Choose from standard paper sizes or input a custom size manually.

• Margins: Define the page margins.

• Select Portrait (vertical) or Landscape (horizontal).

• Printable Area: This defines the actual print region after margins are subtracted. Any elements placed within the margin area will not appear when printed.

• Display Master Layout: Choose whether the Master appears above or below the layout.

Drawing Placement

Leave Auto arrange new Drawings checked by default.
The Align and assign Drawing to a Grid option requires extra configuration in Auto Arrange Setup…, which will be covered in another lesson.

Customizing the Master Layout

Once you’ve created a new Master Layout and configured its paper size and parameters, open it and use 2D tools (like Line, Text, Fill, etc.) to design your own drawing frame.

For example, a typical frame includes:

• A border drawn with the Line Tool.

• Text/AutoText elements showing company information, drawing title, and drawing ID.

With AutoText, you can automatically display information such as drawing number and title.
Instead of typing them manually for each layout, just use AutoText: Drawing ID and Drawing Name, and Archicad will automatically fill in the correct data.

You can also insert your company logo image into the Master Layout for a professional look.

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