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intelligent method for architectural routines

Master the routine. The method for error-proof projects.

mtd. doesn't sell software courses. It sells strategy: building the standard that gives architects back the time to create, cutting rework, the needless click and the all-nighter caused by a missing process.

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mtd. is a technical arm with institutional backing from GOAH
content pillars

The magic revealed.

1
the shortcut

The Shortcut

The hard way vs. the mtd. way — the long process, cut short.

2
the intelligence

The Intelligence

The logic behind every solution. We think, we don't just push buttons.

3
the aesthetics of process

The Aesthetics of Process

Schedules, workflows, mind maps. Organization sells.

the origin

Born at GOAH. Unique to your firm.

mtd. isn't a new theory: it grew out of five years coordinating real projects from 6 sq m to 14,000 sq m inside GOAH — retail, corporate and development, with every discipline fully coordinated. That's the expertise Gisele brings to your firm: building, with your team, a method of your own in your BIM tool. Not a copy.

5
years coordinating the BIM process at GOAH
14.000m²
the method has been applied across a wide range of project scales
+180
projects coordinated while refining the methodology

“It's an arm that shares technical wisdom.”

— Gisele Carvalho, architect and partner at GOAH

mtd. ecosystem

File extensions. System modules.

Each service is born as a module: from the free diagnosis to the high-ticket implementation.

mtd.scan
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content · live
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core · live
mtd.box
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see the full ecosystem →
mtd.scan · free diagnosis

8 questions that reveal where your firm loses time.

Before you open any software. Answer honestly. At the end, you get a diagnosis of your workflow and the next steps.

question 1 of 8
Is there a defined organizational standard before you start, or do you decide on the fly, project by project?
almost there

your diagnosis is ready.

Where should we send the result and next steps? No spam. Only what helps your firm.

enter your name and a valid email to see the result.
your diagnosis
0/16

Your firm's problem isn't the software.

Your answers show where the rework is being born. mtd. builds, together with you, the standard that solves it: from diagnosis to team autonomy.

talk about mtd.bim retake the diagnosis
mtd.bim · core

Method implementation. Not a software course.

Expert know-how transfer: we diagnose your firm's workflow, model a real pilot in your BIM tool and turn it into the official standard — from file organization to cross-discipline clash resolution, with the autonomy for your team to run it on its own.

talk to us

"Don't work hard, work smart."

— mtd. principle
the cause

The enemy is unproductive work.

Rework, the needless click, all-nighters caused by a missing process, dumb bureaucracy. mtd. is the declared enemy of all of it.

how it works

4 steps to autonomy.

1

Diagnosis

We map the firm's current workflow and the skill level of each team member.

→
2

Pilot Project

We model a real firm project together with the team. No generic dummy house.

→
3

Template

We turn the pilot into the firm's official standard.

→
4

Autonomy

Support until the team runs the method on its own, without depending on mtd.

Cut the path short. Build the result.

Limited spots per cohort: mtd. works with a few firms at a time to guarantee real implementation, not a generic handbook.

request a diagnosis
mtd.log

The magic revealed.

Productivity in ArchiCAD, BIM and project organization. Technical content organized by the mtd. pillars, no loose course, no generic handbook.

← back to mtd.log the shortcut

5 clicks you don't need to make every day in ArchiCAD

checklist · ArchiCAD productivity · 5 min read

Every architecture firm has that professional considered the “software master”. They know every shortcut, fly through the interface at light speed and, apparently, never crash the computer. But look closely and this professional spends hours a day running repetitive manual tasks. They're fast, but are they actually being productive?

Real efficiency in ArchiCAD isn't in the speed of your fingers, it's in the intelligence of your process. The “long way” is the belief that architecture is about drawing; the mtd. way is the conviction that architecture, in BIM, is about managing data.

Here are 5 tasks you may still do manually that reveal your workflow deserves a rethink.

1. Autotext instead of manually editing title blocks and sheets

If you open the sheet to edit the project name or the scale because “something broke”, you're wasting time. ArchiCAD was built to be a database.

the hard way

Editing each text box manually across every sheet.

the mtd. way

Use Autotext linked to Project Info and layout variables. If the information changes in the project, it changes across every sheet instantly. Fewer clicks, zero risk of a typo.

2. A structured template instead of “let's see what happens” attributes

Many architects create new wall types, building materials or surfaces as the project demands, without following a standard. This bloats the file and destroys any chance of standardization.

the hard way

Creating “ad hoc” attributes for every new project.

the mtd. way

Work with a structured template. The template isn't just a “box” of walls; it's the rules of the game. If the attribute isn't in the template, it shouldn't exist in your workflow without a technical justification.

3. A configured View Map instead of manual updates

If you often have to click “rebuild” because the view is out of sync, you're not using the View Map to your advantage.

the hard way

Managing views reactively, fixing the display right before printing.

the mtd. way

The View Map is your command center. Each view should have a pre-set Layer Combination, Graphic Override and Model View Options. The rebuild click should be the exception, not the rule.

4. Associative dimensions instead of fixes that “broke”

Dimensions that lose their reference, lines that need redrawing, text that drifts on its own: that's the classic symptom of a non-associative model.

the hard way

Moving the dimension by hand because the wall moved.

the mtd. way

The dimension should always be tied to the element node. If you have to “adjust” dimensions, your modeling method failed at some point of connectivity. The magic of BIM is in associativity.

5. Hotlinked modules instead of Ctrl+C / Ctrl+V between files

The classic copy-paste from one file to another is the death of BIM coordination. It creates duplicate parameters and total loss of the project's intelligence.

the hard way

Copying pieces of old projects into new ones.

the mtd. way

Using Hotlinked Modules. When you work with modules, you keep the data's integrity. The project is an organism, not a patchwork of copied files.

frequently asked questions

Does Autotext work in any version of ArchiCAD?

Yes, the feature has existed for many versions. What changes is the number of available variables; in recent versions you can link almost any project information.

Is it worth migrating old projects to modules?

Generally, no. The gain is in structuring the new projects. Old projects stay as they are. The method starts with the next file you open.

How long does it take to structure a template that eliminates these clicks?

It depends on the starting point, but the fastest path isn't building the template “in a vacuum”, it's extracting it from a real pilot project. We explain that logic in the article about the official template.

keep reading on mtd.log

the shortcut3 manual routines that drain the productivity of a BIM firm aesthetics of processArchiCAD template: from pilot project to official standard

Want to see these shortcuts applied to your workflow?

mtd.bim implements the method in your firm: from the template to team autonomy.

see how it works
← back to mtd.log the intelligence

BIM clash resolution: how we audited an entire building in 2 hours

real story · BIM coordination · IFC · 6 min read

It was nearly 6 pm when we opened the model. Structural had already been reviewed; electrical, plumbing and HVAC remained. By industry standards, the expectation was an all-night meeting. It took us less than two hours.

Before doubt sets in, an important clarification: what we did in two hours was the final system audit, not the modeling. No one coordinates a building from scratch in two hours. And anyone who promises that deserves your suspicion. The two hours only exist because the previous weeks were a rigorous application of the method. When a project is born structured, clash resolution is the final validation of a process that was already aligned from day one.

How reactive clash resolution works (and why it fails)

Most firms work reactively: they model, send the file, receive a clash report with hundreds of alerts and spend days solving problems that could have been avoided at conception. If your IFC export depends on tweaks after modeling, the problem probably started long before the export.

For us, clash resolution is a state of mind, not a final stage. The two-hour audit is the result of three pillars built into the model's structure.

Classification and IFC: the language the model needs to speak

BIM only works if the computer understands what is “structure”, “partition” or “services”. If the element's classification in ArchiCAD is wrong, the IFC (the universal language of clash resolution) comes out compromised. Data integrity begins at the first click.

Rules, not geometry

Treating clash resolution as “checking whether a beam crosses a pipe” is spending physical energy. When you understand that clash resolution is a matter of space-occupancy rules, the process automates itself: if the model follows strict modeling rules, the obvious clashes simply stop existing.

The model as a database

The 3D is the final result, but the intelligence lives in the parameters. When element properties “talk” to each other, checking becomes reading data, not a visual hunt for errors in an ocean of polygons.

what has cost us dearly

It wasn't always like this, and two of our own mistakes explain why we take classification so seriously.

Once, we opened a project with a discrepancy of nearly 100 sq m in the floor takeoff. Nothing was “wrong” in the drawing: one element had been classified incorrectly, and the schedule was adding up what it shouldn't. The model looked right to the eye, but it lied in the data.

In another project, a staircase failed the minimum headroom required by the fire code. The check of the structural model against the head-height projection ArchiCAD itself generates for the stair hadn't been done. The tool was warning us; the process didn't listen.

In both cases, the lesson was the same: the problem was never in the clash report. It was in the foundation of the model.

The right question

If your firm still spends days, or weeks, in clash-resolution meetings, the question shouldn't be “which software do I use to resolve clashes?”, but rather: “which method do I apply so the model is born already coordinated?”

frequently asked questions

How long does BIM clash resolution normally take?

In a reactive workflow, days or weeks, between reports and meetings. In a structured workflow, the final stage becomes an audit of hours, because the bulk of the work was spread throughout the modeling.

What is IFC classification and why does it matter?

It's the information that tells the system what each element is (wall, beam, pipe). Without it right, takeoffs lie and cross-discipline checking loses reliability, as in the 100 sq m case above.

Is clash resolution worth it for small projects?

It is. Scale changes the volume, not the logic. Our method has been applied from 6 sq m to 14,000 sq m, and the reasoning is the same: sound data from the start.

keep reading on mtd.log

the intelligenceParametrization in ArchiCAD: how it reduces rework aesthetics of processArchiCAD template: from pilot project to official standard

Where is the intelligence of your workflow getting stuck?

In 8 questions, mtd.scan diagnoses how your firm organizes itself before opening any software.

take the diagnosis
← back to mtd.log aesthetics of process

How to organize a project in ArchiCAD: why organization is the key to the construction set

opinion · project organization · 5 min read

Many firms believe that the quality of a construction set lies only in the detail of the render or the complexity of the modeling. But the real “aesthetics” of a high-performance project isn't only in the geometry: it's in the clarity of the path taken to get there.

If your firm suffers from blown deadlines, constant questions during construction or the feeling that the project “doesn't add up”, the problem is rarely lack of talent. It's a disorganized process. Organization isn't an administrative task; it's the key that unlocks the profitability and predictability every architect is after.

the case of the 1 GB file

Once, one of our files passed 1 GB with no heavy 3D object inside. We investigated: the modeler had created several clones of 3D Document folders, many completely unused, and each cloned view carried invisible weight into the model.

Nothing there was a “software bug”. It was accumulated disorganization. The kind of chaos that doesn't show up on the sheet but freezes the machine, the team and the deadline. Organization, in BIM, is also performance.

How to structure the construction set: three visual pillars

When we talk about the aesthetics of process, we're talking about how the team consumes and produces information. If information is scattered, the project is confusing and costly. Three pillars turn chaos into flow:

Template as structure. A well-designed template isn't a file with ready-made blocks: it's the foundation of the construction set. It ensures the graphic language and technical information stay consistent, from the first project to the last.

Mind maps for scope management. Before opening ArchiCAD, we draw the path. Mind maps for stages and responsibilities take the “weight” of the project out of the partners' heads and place it on a visual medium the team can consult at any time.

Schedules as dashboards. A well-structured takeoff schedule isn't just a cost survey, it's a dashboard showing the project's health in real time. If the number doesn't add up, the workflow is wrong. (It was exactly a schedule like this that exposed the 100 sq m discrepancy we told you about in the clash-resolution article.)

Reducing friction: where aesthetics becomes intelligence

The aesthetics of process is about reducing friction. When the workflow is visual and organized, the error becomes obvious, you don't have to hunt for it; it stands out against the clarity. Organization doesn't limit creativity; it frees it. When no one has to wonder where the file is or which is the final version of the sheet, there's mental room left for what matters: architecture.

Organizing is designing the future of the firm

Changing the way a firm organizes itself is, at heart, a design choice. You can keep operating on a patchwork of processes, or design a system that works like a precision gear. mtd. exists to help firms design those systems, turning technical management into a competitive advantage.

frequently asked questions

Why is my ArchiCAD file heavy?

It isn't always 3D objects. Cloned Views and 3D Documents, bloated libraries and duplicate attributes are silent villains. It's worth auditing the View Map before blaming the model.

Does a mind map replace management software?

It doesn't replace it: it precedes it. The map defines scope and responsibility before any tool; then day-to-day management runs wherever the team prefers.

What's the best way to organize the project folders?

The one the whole team can follow without thinking: a lean structure, strict naming and a single “source of truth”. The exact standard matters less than it being non-negotiable.

keep reading on mtd.log

aesthetics of processArchiCAD template: from pilot project to official standard the shortcut5 clicks you don't need to make every day in ArchiCAD

We want to help you open that door.

Talk directly with Gisele and the mtd. team — no bureaucratic form, no waiting.

talk to us
← back to mtd.log the shortcut

3 manual routines that drain the productivity of a BIM firm

common mistakes · BIM standardization · 5 min read

the story of the doors

We found out on site. The doors had already been bought, and they didn't fit the openings. Every door dimension in the house was wrong.

The cause wasn't anyone's carelessness: it was a wrong favorite. In ArchiCAD, some favorites measure the clear opening and others measure the total opening, and the modeler used the wrong one. A standardization detail, invisible on the sheet, that became a real cost on site.

It's this kind of “automatic”, unstandardized routine that this article dissects.

There's a dangerous comfort in doing things the way they've always been done. In architecture, the buildup of process bad habits is often mistaken for experience. But through the lens of workflow intelligence, what we call “the way we work” is usually a silent drain on the team's profit margin (and sanity).

In the “Shortcut” pillar, we don't suggest skipping steps or sacrificing quality. We suggest eliminating the noise so the essence of the project can shine. Three manual routines that deserve to be retired:

1. File naming: standard, not creativity

Every project is born with a new logic for naming files, layers or objects. The result? A team that can't find anything and a BIM Manager who spends the day organizing everyone else's chaos.

the hard way

Deciding the naming at the moment you're saving the file, project by project.

the mtd. way

Naming is a language. If the firm doesn't speak the same language across every project, you don't have a process: you have a collection of isolated files. The naming standard must be strict, simple and non-negotiable.

2. 2D drawing over the 3D model

Many architects still “patch holes” in the model using 2D lines and fills on the final sheet. That's using the software as a digital drafting board, wasting ArchiCAD's parametric intelligence.

the hard way

Modeling the essentials and “drawing the rest” on the sheet to make the dimensions match.

the mtd. way

If you have to draw a line over the model to make it acceptable, the model is wrong. The fix is at the source. That way, if the design changes, the documentation adjusts itself. It's the difference between drawing and designing.

3. A library from scratch for every new client

The desire to offer something unique is commendable. Reinventing the library and the template for every client is not. High-performance firms deliver creativity on top of an unshakable technical base.

the hard way

Starting the component library from scratch for every new building.

the mtd. way

Your official template is your most valuable asset. In it you invest in objects, schedules and structures that solve 90% of projects. The other 10% is your room to create, not to struggle with the tool. (This is where the right favorites, like the door-opening ones, stop depending on someone's memory.)

frequently asked questions

How do I standardize the firm's file naming?

Define a short structure (project-discipline-stage-version, for example), document it in a one-page SOP and treat it as a non-negotiable rule. Simplicity beats sophistication.

Is 2D drawing over the model always wrong?

Construction details have their place in 2D. The problem is corrective 2D: when the line exists to hide a model that doesn't hold up.

How do I build a component library without bloating the file?

By extracting from real use: what repeated across delivered projects gets in; the “I might use it someday” stays out. A good library is lean.

keep reading on mtd.log

the shortcut5 clicks you don't need to make every day in ArchiCAD aesthetics of processArchiCAD template: from pilot project to official standard

How many of these routines live in your firm?

Keep reading: the next article shows the five clicks you can retire today.

read the next article
← back to mtd.log the intelligence

System, not luck: how parametrization in ArchiCAD reduces rework

myth or truth · ArchiCAD parameters · 6 min read

Myth: “parametric is just decoration”

Many architects look at parametric design and immediately think of complex, organic forms that are (most of the time) useless for the routine of a firm focused on retail or residential projects. There's a stigma that parametric is a synonym for unnecessary complexity.

In the mtd. way, parametrization isn't about making impossible shapes. It's about decision-making. If your firm relies on luck so that a design change doesn't break the sheet set, you don't have a system; you have a fragility.

the ramp that slipped through

One of our projects went out with a ramp completely non-compliant with the accessibility code, and we only found out after delivery to the client.

The cause? The modeler used a label that didn't pull the ramp's slope automatically. It was plain text. When the slope changed, the text kept stating the old slope with all the confidence in the world.

A parametric label would have updated itself. A text “frozen in time” turned into embarrassment with the client. It was that project that burned into us the phrase we now repeat like a mantra.

Parameters are frozen decisions

When you set an object's parameters in your own template, you make a technical decision once, consciously. On the following projects, you're not just “using an object”, you're applying a validated design decision.

the hard way

Manually checking, on each sheet, whether a window's spec matches the specification document after a design change.

the mtd. way

The window's parameter is linked to the specification schedule. If the window changes, the spec document (and every sheet) updates automatically. That's a decision, not luck.

Where parametrization reduces rework in ArchiCAD

The firm's biggest enemy isn't the tight deadline; it's the lack of predictability. Parametrization attacks rework on three fronts:

The system is your safety net

While other firms rely on luck (or the senior architect's memory) to avoid errors, the firm that adopts the method relies on the system. The system doesn't forget. The system doesn't get tired. The system ensures the intelligence applied at the start of the project reaches final delivery intact.

frequently asked questions

Does this logic apply to Revit too?

The reasoning (decisions frozen into parameters) is tool-agnostic. Our deep practice is in ArchiCAD, but the principle applies to any BIM platform.

Does parametrization work on small projects?

It does, and perhaps even more so: on a small project, each hour of rework weighs proportionally more on the margin. Our method has run from 6 sq m to 14,000 sq m.

Can I parametrize on my own or do I need consulting?

You can start on your own with the critical labels and favorites (ramp slope is a great first target). Consulting speeds things up when the goal is turning this into a firm standard, not an individual initiative.

keep reading on mtd.log

the intelligenceBIM clash resolution: how we audited an entire building in 2 hours aesthetics of processArchiCAD template: from pilot project to official standard

Is your workflow a robust system or does it rely on luck?

mtd.scan diagnoses, in 8 questions, whether the intelligence of your processes is being underused.

take the mtd.scan
← back to mtd.log aesthetics of process

ArchiCAD template: from pilot project to the firm's official standard

behind the scenes · BIM template · BIM implementation · 6 min read

Every architecture firm has been through this: you download a “killer” template from the internet, promise it'll organize the firm and, two weeks later, the team is back to workarounds, copying old files and completely ignoring that so-called standard.

Why does this happen? Because a template can't be an abstract theory. A template that works is the memory of a well-resolved project. In the mtd. way, we don't believe in off-the-shelf templates; we believe in standards extracted from your own reality.

Why the “ideal template” modeled in a vacuum fails

Many firms try to create the perfect standard by imagining every possibility. The result is a heavy file, full of elements no one uses and a library too complex for the team to understand. The real standard is born of necessity: it appears when you solve a hard problem on a real project (a complex window unit, a takeoff schedule that matches the site, a flawless layer hierarchy) and decide: “this becomes a rule from now on”.

behind the scenes: the IFC that vanished

One day, we received an IFC that simply didn't appear in the 3D, and we couldn't find it anywhere in the model. Hours of searching.

The cause was humble: the IFC had been imported into an incorrect template, and that file's settings made it invisible to the workflow. No tool was broken; the foundation was what was wrong.

It was one more proof that the template isn't a “starting file”. It's the rules of the game: including for what comes in from outside.

The pilot project: how we validate the standard

At mtd., when we begin an implementation, we don't start with the software. We start with the pilot project:

From pilot to routine: the single source of truth

When a real project becomes the official standard, the aesthetics of process changes. The chaos of the server folder gives way to a predictable structure. You stop inventing the organization on every project and start applying a system you know, from your own experience, works. The template becomes the single source of truth: if a question comes up, the answer is there, which removes the dependence on a key person and lets you scale production without losing quality.

Why this is different from a course

mtd. doesn't sell a generic handbook. We deliver the building of your standard. While a course teaches you to push buttons, the method helps you look at your own work, understand what your best is and raise it to an official standard. It's turning individual effort into a firm asset.

frequently asked questions

Does a ready-made template from the internet work?

As a study point, yes. As a firm standard, rarely. It carries decisions that aren't yours and ignores the ones that are. Two weeks later, the team abandons it.

How long does it take to create an official template?

The cycle of a pilot project, because that's where the standard is extracted from. More important than speed is validation: each item in the template was born tested on a real project.

What is a “pilot project” in BIM implementation?

A real firm project, chosen to be modeled within the method. It serves as a lab: what works in it is frozen and becomes the standard for the next ones.

keep reading on mtd.log

the intelligenceSystem, not luck: parametrization in ArchiCAD against rework aesthetics of processHow to organize a project in ArchiCAD: the aesthetics of process

Your official standard is waiting inside your own projects.

Let's identify which is your pilot project and how to extract the intelligence of your workflow from it.

book a conversation
product architecture

File extensions. System modules.

Since the parent brand is mtd., each service is born as a module of the same system.

live diagnosis · audience

mtd.scan

The free diagnosis. A few questions that reveal where the firm loses time: the entry point to the ecosystem.

live content · audience

mtd.log

The system log. Technical content organized by the pillars Shortcut, Intelligence and Aesthetics of Process.

live · core implementation · elite

mtd.bim

Method implementation in your BIM tool. The flagship: expert know-how transfer, from organization to cross-discipline clash resolution. Not a mass-market course.

coming soon tools · activation

mtd.box

The toolbox. Ready-made templates and libraries: a more accessible entry point than mtd.bim.

coming soon consulting · expansion

mtd.lab

A process lab. Business, commercial and financial management for the architecture firm.

Gisele Carvalho, arquiteta, sócia e Head of BIM Process na GOAH Arquitetura e líder técnica da mtd., trabalhando sobre pranchas de projeto.
about

The technical arm that GOAH shares with the market.

mtd. is the intelligent method for architectural routines led by Gisele Carvalho — architect, partner and Head of BIM Process at GOAH Arquitetura (CAU A234585-4/MG), with the firm's institutional backing.

While the hub shares commercial wisdom among entrepreneurs, mtd. shares technical wisdom among architects, transferring years of practice in BIM and project management to firms already feeling the weight of disorganization.

Who leads mtd.

Gisele discovered her fascination with the infrastructure of design early: she started in 2009 with 3D joinery software (before BIM existed), driven by the desire to understand how things work in order to make them better. It was while teaching the BIM tool that she saw what firms were really missing wasn't software, it was organization. The method was born from that realization.

As GOAH's Head of BIM Process, she spent five years coordinating projects from 6 sq m to 14,000 sq m — from retail and corporate to development — bridging the architecture and engineering teams and delivering every discipline fully coordinated. She built the firm standard from scratch: a constantly evolving original template, libraries, naming conventions, SOPs and BEPs, and the coordination of consultants. It's this expertise (distilled from years of testing and refining what works) that mtd. brings to other firms, building with each team a method of its own, made to measure. Not a copy.

archetype

The Magician, with touches of the Ruler. mtd. doesn't just teach: it transforms. It takes a chaotic process and, through technique, makes it simple.

We don't sell a loose software course. We deliver the building of a strategy: we diagnose the current workflow, model a real pilot and give architects back the time to create.

GOAH

mtd. is born inside GOAH Arquitetura — a multidisciplinary architecture and engineering firm that, in five years, nearly quadrupled in team size, floor area and perceived value, with a fully structured and documented project workflow.

contact

Let's cut the path short.

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