Tag Archives: 3D modeling

GRAPHISOFT release ArchiCAD 17

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AC17_BOX_CAM1ArchiCAD 17 – “BIM Lives in the Details”

BUDAPEST, May 7, 2013 – GRAPHISOFT® announced today ArchiCAD 17, the latest version of its award-winning building information modeling (BIM) software. The new release delivers capabilities that greatly simplify the modeling and documentation of buildings even when the model contains a high level of detail. ArchiCAD’s end-to-end BIM workflow allows the model to stay live until the very end of the project. 

“Many architectural practices use their BIM solutions up to the design and development phase only to switch to 2D for construction documentation,” said László Vértesi, Vice President of Product Development at GRAPHISOFT. “ArchiCAD 17’s brand new Priority Based Connections put a real ROI on the work put into the creation of the BIM model by automatically providing construction documentation level sections and details.”

Screen Shot 2013-05-10 at 7.18.58 AMPriority Based Connections – Structurally Correct Details out of the Box

Priority Based Connections, together with Intelligent Building Materials, automatically provide structurally correct sections and details. Further usability improvements such as Intelligent Element Association to Story Heights and Intelligent Reference Line Handling of Elements make ArchiCAD the best BIM-based construction documentation solution available on the market today.

 

Screen Shot 2013-05-10 at 7.20.33 AMIndustry-first Background Processing – Large/Complex Models to Stay Responsive

To further enhance productivity, ArchiCAD 17 takes the next revolutionary step in multi-core processing to support the creation and manipulation of large complex models with industry-first Background Processing Support for faster generation of complex model details. Optimized Scaling of Multiple-core CPUs boosts performance on large complex models. The software features Improved Central Graphics Unit Performance to make 3D navigation even smoother when working with extra large models.

 

Screen Shot 2013-05-10 at 7.22.16 AMExtended IFC Model View Definitions – OPEN BIM to Support National Standards 

ArchiCAD 17 supports Coordination View 2.0 and expands capabilities for defining new IFC data such as Concept Design BIM 2010 (required by GSA (US), Statsbygg (Norway), Senate Properties (Finland), FM Handover (required by COBie), and others. This includes currency unit export, calendar date type IFC properties and IfcSystems Assignment Support for system type elements such as MEP systems.

 

Screen Shot 2013-05-10 at 7.23.46 AMBIMobject® Partnership – Open Interface to External BIM Component Providers 

Direct access to an extensive collection of Manufacturer Content on BIMobject.com offers users a comprehensive range of intelligent BIM components available both in ArchiCAD 17 and on BIMcomponents.com. BIMcomponents.com further strengthens its position as the central portal for GDL content by offering open interfaces to third party content providers.

 

Screen Shot 2013-05-10 at 7.25.16 AMWorkflow Improvements – Integrated Design, Visualization and Analysis Workflow 

ArchiCAD 17 delivers a wide array of workflow improvements including an Improved MORPH Tool to support conceptual design with useful zoning information and Real-time 3D Cutting Planes to give extra control of ArchiCAD’s 3D modeling environment. Inclusion of fully functional BIMx in every installation enables users to share BIM projects with their clients in the form of interactive BIM project environments; further improved Energy Evaluation supporting multiple thermal zones allows users to evaluate their designs with standard compliant technology.

 

Note: Please see separate announcement about EcoDesigner STAR™, GRAPHISOFT’s industry first, BIM integrated, LEED compliant energy certification solution for architects and energy experts.

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ArchiCAD 17 will be released on June 1, 2013, with shipment to customers beginning within a few weeks of the official release. Following a tight release schedule, all 26 local versions are planned to reach the market by the end of Q3 2013. For more information about ArchiCAD 17, please visit: http://www.graphisoft.com/archicad. For a live demonstration of ArchiCAD 17, please register for the upcoming “BIM Lives in the Details” webinar on June 18, 2013.

 

About GRAPHISOFT

GRAPHISOFT® ignited the BIM revolution with ArchiCAD®, the industry first BIM software for architects. GRAPHISOFT continues to lead the industry with innovative solutions such as the revolutionary GRAPHISOFT BIM Server™, the world’s first real-time BIM collaboration environment, and the GRAPHISOFT EcoDesigner™, the world’s first, fully integrated building energy modeling application. GRAPHISOFT’s innovative solutions have fundamentally changed the way architects around the world design and collaborate. GRAPHISOFT has been part of the Nemetschek Group, since its acquisition in 2007.

 

What local product would you like to see connected to ArchiCAD in SADC

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Screen Shot 2013-04-10 at 1.41.49 PMAs today and tomorrow are local manufacturer and specifier interview days ( see related post here: http://archicadsa.org/2013/04/10/manufacturer-supplier-interviews-jhb-15-16-april-2013/ ), we thought it would be a good opportunity for you the users in SADC to express your views on which manufacturer product and specifier systems you would like to see connected to ArchiCAD.

Several opportunities exist to connect suppliers and specifiers to your ArchiCAD project, such as:

  • supplier 3D objects, for modelling & scheduling
  • supplier BIM objects, for modelling, scheduling, specification & energy calculations
  • product specifications without objects, for scheduling, specification & energy calculations

If you use specific supplier or manufacturer products or a specification system regularly, take this opportunity to highlight them to us. We will endeavour to establish contact with your supplier, manufacturer or specifier and attempt to connect their systems to ArchiCAD. You may start the conversation by commenting at the bottom of this post.

Create Custom Truss

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It is quite an easy process to create a custom truss in ArchiCAD, it only take lines to create, just follow a few easy steps outlined below.

First go into section view

Select line in the toolbox and draw a truss on a desired location

Take note that the lines act as an axis hence the assigned thickness of the truss projects from the centre.

After outlining the truss drawing, you may highlight a multiple of lines or a single line and go to Design > Design Extras > Truss Maker > Create Truss as in screenshot 1 below 

Truss Maker settings dialog box will pop up, assign attributes and truss profiles as in screenshot 2 below

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After assigning attributes and truss profiles click Ok, a save truss dialog will appear as screenshot 3 below, type in the name of the truss and click Ok, it will be saved in the embedded library and created on the floor plan as per screenshot 4 below, click Ok.

221-2

For further details and illustration please log into the following link:

ArchiGlazing for ArchiCAD 16

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The new version has been updated to work with ArchiCAD 16 and it has the same feature set as previous releases.

ArchiCAD’s Window tool meets the needs of the architect when selecting and placing traditional window styles. The parametric quality of the window objects supplied with the standard ArchiCAD library also allows the definition of a large range of individual types of glass structures.

ArchiGlazing was developed to fulfill special needs, for instance when it is impossible to create the desired glass structure using the Window tool due to complicated geometry. It offers tools for upright, tilted, opening, façade and greenhouse glazing, and for creating sketch windows. ArchiGlazing is an Add-On for ArchiCAD.

ArchiGlazing is freely downloadable for existing ArchiCAD 16 users with a valid Software Maintenance Agreement. To receive a download link, Click here!

Once installed you can find the ArchiGlazing User’s Guide accessible from the Help menu in ArchiCAD 16.

Modular Joinery Object

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Modular Joinery Object (MJO) for ArchiCAD 16, is now available to all users on Software Subscription Agreement (SSA). To download it launch ArchiCAD 16, open up the “Door/ Window Default Settings”, and search for ‘modular’ with the option “On BIM Components Portal” or “Both” selected. Then select the Modular Door/ Window object and click on the button “Download and Embed” at the bottom. Please note: You need to do this in both “Window Default Settings” and “Door Default Settings”.

Thanks to our partners at GRAPHISOFT UK, who commissioned Ralph Wessel of Encina Ltd. to create a window/door/panel/storefront/curtain wall GDL object, called Modular Joinery, for kindly making it available for Southern Africa users on SSA contract. Special thanks go to Simon Gilbert from GRAPHISOFT UK, who assisted me with this process, and of course Levente Filetóth and his team at GRAPHISOFT HQ.

MJO allows for amazing complexity and unifies both window and door options into one Object. MJO for ArchiCAD 16 also includes an update. This update has now been extended to incorporate typical uPVC and timber profiles along with improved representations enabling the objects to be used in conjunction with the default library of doors and windows in ArchiCAD. Download the “Modular Joinery update.pdf” for more details.

Modular Joinery update

Download the “Modular Joinery Manual. pdf” for help with using MJO.

Modular Joinery Manual

For a “quick guide” to using MJO please refer to the following two images:

Angled Parking Bay Object

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Does your design require angled parking bays? If so then with a quick search you can find this on BIMcomponents.com. This is so easy to do by searching the cloud-based community database, directly from within ArchiCAD 16. Open the Object Default Settings and then in the search field type in “parking”. Then click on the arrow and select either “On BIM Components Portal” or “Both” then click “Enter”. This will initiate the search and in almost no-time you should see “Parking Stall”. Then it is a simple matter of selecting “Parking Stall” and clicking on the button “Download and Embed”.

You will then see the “Downloading from BIM Components Portal” dialogue window. This can happen very quickly depending on the size of the object.

Once this has completed the object immediately becomes available.

Downloaded objects are stored in the Embedded Library.

Please note the “diamond” hotspot parametric’s

GRAPHISOFT and BIMobject Sign Strategic Partnership Agreement

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MUNICH, January 16, 2013 – Leading BIM technology providers GRAPHISOFT® and BIMobject® announced today at BAU 2013 that they have signed a strategic partnership agreement, which aims to serve the ArchiCAD community with the broadest range of intelligent BIM components available on the web and in their native BIM environment.

“Building components are as mission critical to the design and realization of buildings as standard construction elements are,” said Akos Pfemeter, Director of Global Marketing at GRAPHISOFT. “We expect our customers to greatly benefit from the extended range of product families and manufacturer content that will be directly available to them with the addition of BIMobject.com as a content source to both ArchiCAD and BIMcomponents.com,” he added.

“BIMobject is committed to assisting architects and designers in realizing their designs with premium quality BIM objects of real, confirmed and approved products from existing manufacturers,” said Stefan Larsson, CEO of BIMobject. “We believe that ArchiCAD’s GDL technology and the end-to-end workflow that we are building from the manufacturers to architects and designers will greatly improve the quality of the BIM process throughout the entire lifecycle of BIM projects,” Larsson continued.

GRAPHISOFT and BIMobject have started to work on building direct links between their respective systems to make content from BIMobject.com directly accessible in ArchiCAD and BIMcomponents.com in the near future.  For more information, please visit GRAPHISOFT Booth #431 in Halle C at BAU 2013, and/or BIMobject booth #329.

About BIMobject

BIMobject AB’s mission is to increase measurable sales of products in the AEC field by generating visibility of accessible objects used in the BIM process. BIMobject offers software tools, web solutions and services to assist its customers in the creation, conversion, and publication of BIM objects on the web, by creating a straight path to the users of any BIM software.  BIMobject AB is a brand-neutral, innovative platform committed to providing cost-effective marketing and sales solutions to manufacturers.

About GRAPHISOFT

GRAPHISOFT® ignited the BIM revolution with ArchiCAD®, the industry first BIM software for architects. GRAPHISOFT continues to lead the industry with innovative solutions such as the revolutionary GRAPHISOFT BIM Server™, the world’s first real-time BIM collaboration environment, and the GRAPHISOFT EcoDesigner™, the world’s first, fully integrated building energy modeling application. GRAPHISOFT’s innovative solutions have fundamentally changed the way architects around the world design and collaborate. GRAPHISOFT® has been part of the Nemetschek Group, since its acquisition in 2007.