AF Start – The free BIM design toolkit for architects

Creating a house in Archicad?

Model the structure with ease and efficiency using ArchiFrame Start.

AF Start is an ArchiFrame toolkit developed for architects and building designers.

  • Bridge the gap between design and production 
  • Free up your time and creativity

Free tools included*

start_fascia

Fascia tool

Model fascia boards with Archicad’s profile beam tool. ArchiFrame learns
the process and applies your fascia boards to any roof at the push of a button.

start_archicorners2

ArchiCorners

Add cover boards to your corners with precision quickly

start_add-and-edit-planks

Add and edit planks

Create a wide range of planks

start_convert-to-planks

Convert to planks

Convert selected Archicad walls, beams or columns into ArchiFrame planks

start_cut-and-join

Cut and join

Cut and join planks in a variety of ways

start_adjust-endings

Adjust endings

Combine planks and easily edit plank joins and endings

start_adjust-to-operators-and-markings

Adjust operators and markings

Join target planks to operators, or trim the planks to size e.g. to fit a roof

start_balk-joints

Balk joints

Make balk joints, with  either the balk intact or narrowed

start_grooves

Grooves

Cut grooves into specific elements

* AF Start will be available for free until October 2025, for at least two years.

“ArchiFrame's Fascia tool makes it much easier to model standard eaves and gable boards here at Kontio. Using this tool, we save time that we can then use on actual design work instead of messing around with small details. Using this tool, I calculate that we will save an average of 20 minutes per model, giving us on average 670 hours more annually for actual design work.”

Samuli Kokko

Project Lead, Kontiotuote Oy, Finland

Introducing your free tools

Fascia tool

Model fascia boards with Archicad’s profile beam tool. ArchiFrame learns the process and applies your fascia boards to any roof at the push of a button.

The process of using the fascia tool is easy:

  1. First, model single roof with related fascia boards using AC roof and profile beam tool
  2. Select the roofs and related fascia beams
  3. Teach the process to ArchiFrame
  4. Apply the learned process to any new roofs with a single click.
  5.  

Read more…

ArchiCorners

This tool helps adding the white pieces in the image on the left.

To start the tool, there must be at least two walls in selection. If the selection also contains roofs, those are used to trim the corner plank tops. Read more..

Add and edit planks

Add planks to your design and customize them freely.
 
The tool includes drawing plane concept to easily add angled roof structures in floor plan.
 

Read more..

Tidying up the Walls and Roof
Creating a roof structure

Convert to planks

Convert selected Archicad walls, beams or columns into ArchiFrame planks. 
 
The converted planks can be processed with all ArchiFrame tools and with full ArchiFrame it is possible to even generate exact CNC-data from those.
 

Read more…

Cut and join

Cut the ArchiFrame-planks in 3D, floor plan, sections/elevations with line(s) or a single click. Join back together if needed.
 

Read more…

Adjust endings

This tool combines planks from their ends, halving the angle and leaving the desired gap between the planks. Read more…

Adjust operators and markings

This tool is used to adjust planks to another plank or any plane picked from the 3D-model. In addition, it allows adding markings to the connections.
 

Read more…

Balk joints

Connect intersecting beams narrowing both or just part of the beams.

Read more…

Grooves

This tool is like Archicad’s solid element operation/subtract except you get all ArchiFrame features with it: detailed dimension drawing and CNC-output.  Read more…

Features chart

The features below are not included in AF Start

element_tools
Element tools
foundation_drawing
Truss tools
foundation_drawing
Foundation drawing tools
plankstools
Extended plank tools
dimension_drawings
Dimension drawings
quantit_-takeoffs_and_cnc_files
Quantity takeoffs and cnc-files

AF Start – The perfect design package for creators

Try AF Start to help free up your time when designing houses in Archicad. Automate and speed up key processes so that you can spend more time on what matters: creating great houses. Completely free – try it yourself to see how its features work to support your designs.

ArchiFrame

The full Archicad extension for wooden structures

AF Start

The ArchiFrame toolkit developed especially for architects

AF Edu

A light version of ArchiFrame for students

AF Trial

Try ArchiFrame for free for one month