The main software product of GRAPHISOFT is ARCHICAD, a unified object-oriented three-dimensional computer-aided design system designed to solve architectural and construction problems. With the release of the industry's first CAD BIM solution for architects, ARCHICAD, in 1984, the company revolutionized the very first version of ARCHICAD 1.0 based on building information modeling technology. In 1986, GRAPHISOFT created the next version of the program, in which the editing of 2D plans and the creation of a 3D model took place in a single environment. From the very beginning, the company kept pace with the development of the computer industry and introduced the latest technologies, updating the program and improving the tools that facilitate design.
Today GRAPHISOFT continues to work in the BIM field. One of the directions is OPEN BIM - an approach aimed at open cross-platform interaction in the exchange of data at the level of information modeling of buildings. Innovative products from the company such as BIMcloud ™, the world's first solution for real-time collaborative BIM design, EcoDesigner, the world's first fully integrated application for energy modeling and energy performance evaluation of buildings, and BIMx®, the leading mobile application for demonstration and presentation of BIM models, available in 25 languages. More than 100,000 architects around the world choose ARCHICAD today® as the main working design tool.
Released this summer, ARCHICAD 22 allows even more automation of the workflow at all its stages: from the development of conceptual solutions to the release of detailed drawings of working documentation. The slogan of the version "Inside and outside" reflects new design possibilities - work and instant display of changes in both 2D and 3D models, modeling and information management through various modifiers and formulas, as well as improvements to the Curtain wall tool, which simplifies the creation of all kinds of facades.
Facade design
Modern architecture is distinguished by a variety of facades - perforated, volumetric, glass: a wide range of building materials allows you to implement almost any solution, and it is very important for architects that there is always a tool at hand to help create a project and present it to the customer as clearly as possible, and then send an approved sketch immediately to work. The advanced design tools for facades in ARCHICAD 22 allow you to create various modifications in a short time and quickly make the necessary changes to the project, and the design is carried out in both 2D and 3D.
The most important upgrade to the Curtain Wall tool is that it can now be used at all stages of design, from concept development to the release of working documentation that meets the requirements of national standards. ARCHICAD's redesigned facade design approach makes it easy to set up patterns that define the look and feel of curtain wall systems.
Drawing patterns
In previous versions, only two types of panels could be specified for each object, such as glass panel and opaque panel. Now, using the dialog box, you can work with panels, editing them for your needs, and customize each panel separately, which expands the range of applied textures, colors and shapes.
New library elements allow you to create any polygonal panels - from simple polygonal to rhombuses and octahedrons, which automatically change their shape when editing frames. You can also easily adjust the transparency or opacity for each of the elements.
Especially in version 22, architects should love the ability to create their own facade designs. Any complex graphics, for example, a leaf pattern, is simply translated into the facade without involving other programs. Using a scanned sketch made by hand, you simply trace the contours of the drawing with the Frame tool and create the desired pattern that can be replicated on the surface of the facade.
The scale and location of the facade fragment within the curtain wall can be edited at any time, and the graphic feedback will immediately allow you to see all changes in the 3D model. When laying out a picture on a wall, you can set the parameter for the best breakdown and the program will suggest the optimal arrangement of the panels.
The versatility of the Curtain Wall tool allows you to create not only facades, but also to use it in the development of interior solutions, for example, for laying out tiles and wall panels. The program helps to lay geometric elements on a certain plane, calculate them and include them in the specification.
Also in the new version there is an interesting possibility of hybrid display of curtain walls. That is, floor plans can display elements above and below the section plane in different ways. This allows, for example, to show in detail frames and panels below the section plane and to set up a simplified display of sun shades and joints (or even completely disable the display of these components).
Not only full face, but also profile
In addition to simplifying the work of creating the appearance of curtain walls in ARCHICAD 22, improvements have also been made to their structures. The addition of various modifiers to the Profile Editor has made it easier to model curtain wall frames.
Now the dimensions of each frame can be adjusted individually, without creating a separate profile for this. The main difference from previous versions is that the modeling of curtain wall frames occurs without creating a separate profile for this, right in the dialog box, i.e. individual profiles can be changed in place, and for the convenience of users, new modifiers have appeared - stretching and displacement of profiles.
In general, the tool gives more flexibility in setting the geometry of elements with custom parameters.
For example, when you change the configuration of a wall in a profile, adjacent elements are automatically transformed as well. Problematic nodal joints, such as corner joints, can also be converted literally in one click. Each component is configured directly in the model, for example, a blank panel is converted into a window, it is possible to combine adjacent panels into a new configuration. Setting the Priority in Curtain Walls parameter allows you to show both primary and secondary profiles in the diagram.
Ladders and fences. New
Parameterization also touched the version of the Guardrail and Ladder tools that appeared a year earlier, based on predictive design technology, which allows architects to choose the best solution right in the process of creating stairs.
As before in ARCHICAD 22, you can define your own post sizes, cross-sections, railing configurations, but now you can customize the numbering of steps in different ways, apply more types of structure connections and graphically edit railing components.
An important improvement was the ability to visualize the height of the passage of stairs and take this factor into account when detecting collisions, for example, with beams or ceilings. Compliance with regulations and national standards is also considered. In Railings, the ability to create sloped variants has been added, which simplifies the modeling process.
Calculation of formulas: quantity and quality
In the new version, thanks to formulas in property values, the functionality of the program for calculations has been significantly expanded. Various functions (many of which are used in Excel and are now easily exported and imported) can be used to calculate the required property values.
For example, if it is necessary to calculate the number of workplaces in the room, areas with different coefficients, compliance with the requirements for insolation of premises and other data, which is especially important when calculating TEPs (technical and economic indicators) and possible changes during the project, and automatically include the resulting values.
By visualizing this
Some time ago, architects had to resort to the help of third-party programs to create an effective presentation for the project - a render, where textures and shadows are depicted. Thanks to Maxon's built-in CineRender R19 engine, ARCHICAD can create high-quality renderings without closing the program.
Users will also love the ARCHICAD 22's new ability to combine cameras for stereoscopic or panoramic (360-degree) renderings. Thus, it has become even more convenient to visually present the project and evaluate it in volume.
The changes affected not only visualization, but also the submission of drawings, as well as orthogonal projections. For example, a graphical black and white presentation is especially popular with Russian architects, which today can be presented in the form of a light sketch and in the form of a detailed project using a working 3D model.
Now it has become even easier - when displaying the project, both in 2D (drawings) and in 3D (model), depending on the task, you can use a different degree of detail, as well as marking certain elements with color. LOD (level of detail) - the level of detail - from a simple diagram to a detailed drawing with all elements - can be changed in the model view parameters. The ability to show an orthogonal projection in various sections and color marking of certain objects expands the possibilities of submitting drawings and working with them. It also became possible to create callout signatures in the submission.
At high speeds
From the very beginning, GRAPHISOFT® has paid great attention to the speed and stability of the program. With the release of the first version of ARCHICAD for Windows in 1994 - before that the program was “sharpened for MAC - the difference in performance between the Mac and Windows versions was decreasing, and today there is no difference between the versions.
ARCHICAD 22 has increased processing speed, which allows you to quickly view objects, and makes 2D navigation smoother in projects of all sizes. The performance improvement has been affected by the fact that computer graphics processors are now involved in the creation of hatches of complex elements, sections and surfaces. Multi-core processors are used more efficiently with a patented algorithm that calculates pan and zoom operations in the background.
Also in the new version, performance has significantly increased when working with a large number of complex elements created using Morphs. This was achieved by reducing the memory they used. The graphic resolution is not lagging behind: now lines, texts and other graphic elements of the program interface are displayed much clearer due to the support of UHD monitors (4K and 5K) in Windows 10.
In general, the new version is aimed at faster workflow management and integration of different participants in the design process. Automation and even prediction of processes, variability and parameterization are the main directions in which GRAPHISOFT is moving in improving ARCHICAD.
Download the trial version of ARCHICAD 22 on the official website of the GRAPHISOFT developer.
