In recent years, Graphisoft has poured energy into building out its ecosystem, anchored by two key extensions: its award-winning BIMx mobile, web, and desktop viewing collaboration and viewing application, and its industry-leading BIMcloud technologies, which arrived with great fanfare in 2014. (see: Architosh, “Special Event from Japan: GRAPHISOFT announces new ‘BIMcloud’ for global architectural industry,” 25 Mar 2014)

To be sure, BIMcloud, in particular, was the technology ready for the global pandemic in 2020, and while thousands of Archicad-based architects smoothly adjusted to remote work because their projects were already in the cloud within BIMcloud, many colleagues using other solutions (notably Revit) had a much more difficult transition. Fast-forward from the pandemic years to the present, Graphisoft has further expanded its ecosystem, especially in the MEP space. Its latest addition to this arena is MEP Designer, a purpose-built MEP BIM solution built on the same Archicad core platform.

But what about Archicad itself? This is largely the subject of this feature product review article. So let’s dig into it.

A full-screen view of Archicad 29 with its new Learning Center shown and the AI Assistant (beta) icon in the lower right-hand corner of the main viewport window. The Learning Center gives the user quick access to Product Tours, Quick Tutorials, and Help.

With Archicad 29, Graphisoft delivers a pivotal new AI Assistant (Beta) technology, offering intelligence built into model queries and expert guidance on all things Archicad. One important note: the Hungarian BIM provider says that “Archicad 29 is the centerpiece” of their “Design Intelligence Strategy” and a type of “backbone” for next-generation AI-enabled workflows.

Why AI is Key

If this is the future backbone of the next-generation design-centric experience, then it stands to reason that the AI Assistant (Beta) is a critical technology to understand, and that it is our first step in this review.

To get started, the user can find the new AI Assistant in the lower right corner of the main interface window. Clicking it opens the AI Assistant main window. When you first use it, you must agree to the terms and conditions, and there is an explanation of the terms of use. In short, Graphisoft is the Data Processor (or Processor), and the user is the Data Controller (or Controller). Personal data is used solely to the extent necessary for the query and in accordance with Article 29 of the GDPR. The “processor” (Graphisoft) shall not use the personal data for any purpose other than the one addressed in the AI query.

The AI Assistant window is full-height along the left side of the Navigator palette on the right. The assistant guides you with the types of questions you can ask (see text below). The globe icon in the text prompt box enables queries to access information on the Internet.

Once agreed to, an Archicad 29 user can engage with the AI Assistant (Beta) features, which include things like learning about Archicad, asking about best practices and regulations, filtering your BIM model elements, and creating AI visualizations.

Asking about Archicad

I tested the first type of query, which is about knowing about Archicad, and I was quite satisfied with the initial results. I asked, for example, to help me understand the Navigator in Archicad, a key aspect of the program’s functionality that can initially challenge new users. Because we know Archicad, we could evaluate the results against experience. We were pleased to see it make the key distinction between Viewpoints and Views, for instance.

Asking about Best Practices and Regulations

I tested the AI Assistant and its knowledge of best practices by asking a series of planning questions, first about metal flashing under windows and doors (a question the AI Assistant couldn’t provide any answer to) and next about how far a toilet should be placed relative to a side wall (which it was able to answer correctly refering to ADA regulations). I then asked about the minimum ceiling height above a toilet in the United States, but the AI did not know the answer because the regulations Archicad 29 is using are strictly UK-based. So why are they just UK-based at this beta release stage?

An example of the AI Assistant helping with questions about learning the Navigator.

The answer, says Graphisoft, is to help the LLM better understand the domain and context, and adding more codes and regulations would (or could) increase the risk of hallucinations. If you have ever done code research in early versions of ChatGPT, you may have experienced some hallucinations. Graphisoft is committed to emphasizing safe and reliable AI solutions; hence, the limited use of UK standards today. In the future, the company says, users should be able to upload the most relevant building codes for themselves.

Filtering BIM Model Elements

Perhaps the most exciting and useful AI feature beyond having a learning buddy (over-the-shoulder AI) is what AI can tell you about your BIM model. I ran a quick testing telling the Assistant to highlight all the load-bearing columns. It selected them properly and told me how many of them I had. That immediately suggested to me that perhaps the assistant could do quantification work. However, at this time, it cannot.

I asked, for example, to give me the average height of all the load-bearing columns or the shortest and tallest load-bearing columns. But Archicad’s AI Assistant at this time is only optimized to find BIM model elements and not to provide numerical analysis. Our understanding from feedback from Graphisoft is that LLM’s scan struggle with this kind of numerical analysis, but the company absolutely sees this as a logical next step, and the support of MCP (Anthropic’s model context protocol) will enable the AI Assistant to use tools that humans can use today in Archicad and unlock such possibilities to answer numerical analysis questions.

An example of filtering with the AI Assistant querying the model. Notice how the filtered elements get selected (highlighted in green). Once selected, the user can navigate from 3D views to 2D views to see the filtered elements or orbit around the 3D model to gain different vantage points.

Meanwhile, in my review, I used the AI Assistant to filter for “all doors less than 36 inches wide,” and it found them all and highlighted them in the BIM. I was able to see them in both 3D and 2D plan views, and they remained highlighted as I navigated between them. However, I encountered something unexpected when orbiting after a filter selection in the Assistant.

If I filter for elements and then want to orbit the model, the selected (filtered) elements stop being highlighted upon orbital rotation. To get them highlighted again, I need to click the orbit button in the lower-left corner of the main window. This will deselect the orbit tool and bring back the filtered highlight. Okay, I wasn’t expecting that, but at least I solved it and could orbit the model to view my AI-filtered elements from different perspectives.

How Good for Beta?

For a beta status technology, Archicad 29’s AI Assistant is valuable, especially if you are new to learning Archicad. I feel this feature set will greatly aid your ability to master learning the program, and even if you have some prior experience or are an infrequent user (like we are, in general, for many of the applications we review), the AI Assistant provides excellent support.

As for filtering, we think this is a good start, but look forward to more advanced capabilities, especially the ability to automate workflows once Graphisoft implements MCP (model context protocol), an open-source standard created by Anthropic that sister company Bluebeam showed off last fall at its user conference in Washington, D.C. (see: Architosh, “Bluebeam Rebounds: The Comeback of Construction’s Original Digital Rebel,” 20 Oct 2025)

AI Visualizer 2.0

So version 29 introduces the 2.0 release of AI Visualizer, an AI visualization technology that originated at Graphisoft and is shared AI technology across other Nemetschek brands. This technology is now potentially co-developed by the Nemetschek Group’s Germany-based AI hub, which has at least one staff member assigned to it from multiple daughter companies, including Graphisoft’s sibling rivals. We are speculating here.

We didn’t test this feature set directly, but let’s summarize what AI Visualizer 2.0 does, then move on to the items we looked at in detail. The big new update to this AI technology is an interface with more detailed settings. All of this is designed to give the architect greater control, which is the difficult nature of using generative AI technology.

The interface for AI Visualizer 2.0. New capabilities and controls enable the architect or designer to direct the generative AI technology closer to intentions.

The user can upload images, such as photo boards of actual materials, to use in the visualization, along with composition imagery, such as a hand-drawn perspective sketch of the view they like. The “creativity” slider is there to give the architect less or more control. If you want more restrictions on the AI’s creativity, you lower the slider. If the AI Visualizer creates items in your image you don’t want, a paintbrush tool gives you the ability to delete them. Or, alternatively, use the paintbrush tool to highlight and enhance areas of the image.

AI Visualizer 2.0 can also generate textures and objects for your scene, in addition to rendering image compositions. You can create seamless textures from text prompts or upload pictures. These updates to AI Visualizer streamline image creation and automate the generation of useful objects and textures, saving architects and interior designers a ton of time.

Productivity Improvements

New Rotation Tools

While the new rotation functionalities seem trivial, they have more value than they first appear to have. For example, they also use section elements, so you have a faster and easier way to change a building section’s direction than previous methods. That will please existing users. And you can also rotate elements in the same way in 3D views, like a car in a driveway. While there has always been a good rotation tool, the new rotation shortcuts are simply faster and easier to implement for basic rotations.

The new rotation tool is a simple new feature, but sure to please existing users.

Finally, note that the rotation tools work on layouts, so you can quickly change elements placed directly on them. This may be more rarely used, but it is valuable.

Direct Input Opening in Section and Elevation

The new ability to input openings in section and elevation views is another feature that long-time Archicad users will find quite useful and an expanded improvement on cutting openings in target elements compared to previous methods, including the method of using an “operator” object like a morph or slab and then performing a subtraction to cut the target element.

A complex shape drawn in elevation will form the opening.

The complex-shaped opening is now shown in a 3D view.

The new ability allows the user to use a rectangular or circular shape or a polygon for just about any shape (see images below). In the 3D view, users can also further manipulate these opening shapes by sliding them along surfaces like the garden wall in this example, including with numerical accuracy via the pet palette. The depth of an opening is also numerically controlled with the new tools. And you can edit dimensions of openings when they are selected, like making these round holes fit for step lighting bigger or smaller. (see image below).

This round opening for a step light can be easily adjusted in size or position using the features of the Pet Palette.

Moreover, when you migrate older Archicad files to version 29, openings made via previous methods will gain new editing powers. In other words, it changes how you can interact with them.

Filter and Select Unused Views

So anyone who has used Archicad for any length of time knows the beauty and power of the Navigator. However, they also know its pain points, and there have always been a few. One of those prior to Archicad 29 is the ability to determine whether a view has never been used in a layout or publisher set. For those unfamiliar with Archicad, layouts are where you construct your drawing sheets. You place views on layouts to construct sheets, so if you have views that have not been placed onto sheets, you may want to now delete them if they serve no other purpose.

Finding unused views or views not placed on layouts is the first step in helping to lighten the Navigator’s content lists and streamline workflows. This image shows the setup process for the filtering process.

However, you must first find these unused views. That is where the filtering features come into play. Now, in the Project Map at the bottom, you can find Project Indexes > View List. Click on that get a view similar to the image above. From there, the user can add criteria for filtering via criteria like “Placed on Layout” and such, and generate results. Once the view list is filtered, selecting any row (view) and then clicking on another button (upper left) takes you either to that view or to its location in the saved views in the navigator. Then you can delete it.

So far, these items, which at first seem minor, are actually significant and much appreciated useful feature improvements or feature additions to Archicad.

Library and Content Improvements

New additions and improvements to the Library now happen as they develop, which means this content comes to users far more frequently (in theory) than with major software releases. Users must go to the Download section of the Graphisoft website to see these more frequent Library content updates. A better and faster way is to use the Help menu > Check for Updates, and you end up with the screen below. (see image below).

Checking for library updates via the Archicad 29 Help menu interface is faster than the website method.

Notice that it not only tells me there is an Archicad 29.0.2 hotfix available, but below that, Library Updates are also available. Click the download link shown.

The updates to the Library in Archicad 29 are quite extensive, including hundreds of new 2D tree graphics and the plants and outdoor accessories package. There are also new door objects with special door types.

Other Productivity Improvements

Parametric kitchen cabinet features have advanced further, offering greater control for architects and designers. Cabinets can now have up to five drawers.

Archicad 29 also offers new “show contours” in PBR rendering mode. Physically-based rendering was introduced a few versions back, but this new feature with contour support adds visual rendering options for the edges of objects. A bigger number in the settings corresponds to a thicker line at the edges of objects. (see next image)

This setting combines the qualities of physically-based rendering (PBR) with the edge-like qualities of modeling tools like SketchUp.

This image shows the new dark mode UI option and the new show contours option under physically-based rendering mode.

Another new feature for macOS users is Dark Mode. This feature is a bit late to the “dark interface” party that began quite a long time ago now, but certain users will surely enjoy it if eye strain is an issue. For Mac users, they can make Dark mode always on, or off, or match their device (computer) so it turns on in the per-dark interface settings for the Mac itself.

Finally, in addition to the AI Assistant’s ability to answer questions and provide user guidance about Archicad, there is a new dedicated Learning Center palette that provides guided product tours and quick tutorials, plus Archicad tips.

Documentation Updates

Archicad 29 features several new features and updates to improve the documentation process. Schedule formatting and renovation status are the two bigger updates in this area, while new arrow types are a minor new feature that experienced users will appreciate.

Schedule Formatting Improvements

The new updates to schedules include customization options for background cell colors, how they are handled based on simple rules such as matching a header cell, plus a range of other customization options for how units, numbers, and custom text are entered into schedules.

Archicad 29 added substantial new features for schedule formatting.

Additionally, you can control whether color customizations carry over to views within layouts.

Archicad 29 now offers new tools for arrowhead styles, including size and pen. This includes the start and endpoints of lines, arcs, and related shapes, each with its own unique arrowhead. Plus, you can save unique combinations of arrowheads, complete with line thickness and sizes, and save them to your Favorites. These new capabilities will help architects create diagrams, timelines, different types of flow diagrams, charts, and more.

Renovation status for elements in BIM models already exists, but it can now be assigned to markers such as sections, elevations, interior elevations, details, and worksheets. So how would you use this?
So essentially, what this does is enable architects to change the status of markers in previous Archicad projects to “renovation” status. This helps them essentially disappear without having to delete them. You don’t want to delete them as they may still be in existing views.

The new arrowhead options are useful for more than one drawing, such as this 3D view. They can also help in chart-making.

A particularly handy new update is the Replace PDF Pages feature. If you have a multi-page PDF document that is incorporated in your layouts, you can easily leverage a single link to that PDF and access any of the multiple pages in the PDF to appear in a view on a layout. This means you can also update a single page and save time by not having to reinsert the file.

Finally, several new features are designed to improve documentation, including more formatting customization for keynotes. You can also place keynotes on the master layout, and if no keynotes appear on a given layout sheet, the keynotes legend does not appear on that sheet.

Collaboration Updates

There are many new updates and features that add to Archicad’s already robust collaboration capabilities. These include IFC 4.3 and OBJ support, BIMx 2025 improvements, and much more. Let’s take a look at some of them.

Archicad has several new or updated “Archicad connections.” BIMPLUS connection is one of them. This is the Nemetschek Group’s cloud-based platform for model-based coordination and collaboration. You can now log in to BIMPLUS directly from Archicad.

There is also a newly updated Bluebeam connection. This brings in an integrated documentation review workflow. There was already a Bluebeam integration with Archicad prior, but that connection technology has been discontinued and replaced by this new connection. The new Bluebeam Connection is entirely recoded.

Archicad previously had a connection to sister company Bluebeam, but this version is entirely rewritten and superior.

The new setup integrates with Bluebeam Cloud and supports Bluebeam desktop workflows. Importantly, Bluebeam markup can be imported into Archicad as native Archicad issues. To generate such markup, users can start a Bluebeam Session directly in Archicad 29. Users participating in the Session do not need a license of Bluebeam software, just a user account. Multiple parties can produce markup in the Session, and that data can be piped into Archicad as native Archicad issues, which can then be assigned to team members to resolve.

The adoption of IFC 4.3, the latest industry standard, positions Archicad for a stronger market presence in infrastructure projects, which is partly what IFC 4.3 addresses. This version is not yet widely supported, but it helps future-proof projects and workflows with its integration in version 29.

New “Archicad Project Compare”

This is a new tool that works between versions 25 and newer, making it easier to identify hard-to-notice differences between two project states.

This is a new application that you download and run to prepare migration audits. The package you download contains both the Archicad plugins and the stand-alone Archicad Project Compare application. You need both.

The add-on produces output files that serve as the basis for comparison. This runs on each version of Archicad you use, providing a comparison. Say you were migrating from version 28 to version 29. You install the add-on to both versions of Archicad and run the process to generate output (.pmx) files needed for the comparison. Once the comparison is run, it will be visually apparent whether the content has changed, is faulty, or is missing elements.

Importantly, Graphisoft tells Architosh that while the tool can be used within the same version of Archicad, that is only a bonus workflow. The tool supports migration workflows and is essentially a BIM management tool, not an Archicad utility.

BIMx 2025

BIMx is a critical layer to the Archicad ecosystem, and it is always shocking to learn that some Archicad firms don’t use it.

The new BIMx has several new features, including parallel projection for axonometric views like this one.

New this year is the unification of the features of BIMx across all platforms. There are now customizable cut planes, new parallel projection, and animation toggles. This means you can toggle on or off the animation transitions between the BIM model and 2D documents.

MEP Designer

A huge component of Graphisoft’s annual updates is now outside of Archicad itself in the form of various Archicad ecosystem applications. This could be BIMcloud, BIMx, or the new MEP Designer, which is built on the same fundamental engine as Archicad. But again, we really want to just focus this review on Archicad itself. Typically, that is how we review Archicad, even if we cover these ecosystem tools lightly. We have written about MEP Designer before (see: Architosh, “Graphisoft releases Archicad 29 with game-changing tools,” 7 Oct 2025), but the chief take-away is that MEP Designer is a new solution that simplifies BIM adoption for MEP engineers, breaking them away from the limits of 2D CAD workflows and driving deeper integration with architects working in BIM workflows using Archicad.

Being that MEP Designer is built essentially on the Archicad platform, it ships both natively for Mac and Windows, making it the first Mac-based BIM solution for MEP engineers to design and document MEP systems in 3D format with complete IFC 4.3 support to work with other engineering BIM solutions. Chief among its key features is its simplified MEP modeling and built-in collision detection and model checks.

Closing Thoughts

While Archicad 29’s release late last year was a bit lighter update than Graphisoft’s typical annual release, one must factor in a few unusual or background factors. One of those is the programming effort put into MEP Designer. Another aspect that the company has discussed publicly in the “data plumbing” reworking going on behind the scenes to get the data or “I” in BIM set up correctly to service new artificial intelligence (AI) workflows. This is the same kind of foundational programming affecting all legacy (desktop-era) BIM developers, and even newer BIM 2.0 tools that began before the emergence of LLMs and ChatGPT.

We see in version 29 the beta version of the new AI Assistant. This is just the tip of the iceberg of what is coming to AI functionality in Archicad. The Model Context Protocol (MCP) will likely bring major new capabilities to the AI Assistant, not to mention an emphasis on open protocols to avoid fragmented connections to multiple new AI models and instead provide seamless, integrated, diverse data sources securely. All of this is critical to Archicad’s agentic AI foundation, where multi-agent support and task decomposition set up AI workflows that enable complex user requests and break them down into manageable steps by the AI Assistant.

Having shared our thoughts on the AI Assistant above, our other favorite features in the new version 29 update that have nothing to do with AI include key productivity updates such as direct openings in section and elevation views, and filtering for unused views. While neither of these is sexy or massive, they are impactful. The same can be said of the new schedule formatting capabilities and arrowhead types that open up new possibilities.

So should Archicad firms rush to upgrade to this version? Well, that depends. If you are new to Archicad or at an intermediate skill level, the AI Assistant is a powerful tool to help you deepen your understanding and capabilities in Archicad. For all other users, the mix of very practical updates offers workflow streamlining, and it will just depend on their particular present needs.

To learn more, visit Graphisoft’s website and read our summaries below.

Pros — Archicad 29 intros new beta level AI Assistant that delivers solid and practical assistance for using and learning the popular BIM authoring tool; new rotate and opening tools for elevation, and section views will be highly adopted by veteran users; new productivity enhancements and abilities to sort for unused views benefit project management and keep projects streamlined. New dark mode UI for Mac is a bonus for that platform, new updates to BIMx and MEP Designer are excellent updates to the Graphisoft ecosystem, as well as new connections like the BIMPLUS and Bluebeam Connection. The new line contour feature for PBR rendering is especially nice to see in Archicad. AI Visualizer can create seamless textures and objects, offering big time savings. 

Cons — None of the new features are poorly implemented, but Archicad 29 is on the smaller size for an annual update, and the coolest new feature (AI Assistant) is technically a beta. Having only UK regulations for the data source felt limiting for market use outside the UK, but future updates will include many more connections. 

Advice — The new AI Assistant delivers helpful direction for newcomers to Archicad as well as useful filtering of BIM elements, making version 29 a smart upgrade for less-experienced Archicad users or those just learning the program. Veteran users will appreciate updates that improve the Navigator, enable the creation of openings in elevations and sections, and the new schedule formatting. While a bit lighter than average annual releases, a lot of foundational work for the future has been implemented behind the scenes. New IFC 4×3, BIMPLUS, and a rewritten Bluebeam Connection mostly seal the deal for upgrading to this version on the next new project. 

Price — Archicad 29 is available exclusively through a subscription model, and pricing depends on the tier and payment frequency. Options include Archicad Collaborate, which includes BIMcloud and MEP Designer, and is USD 2,840 per year with optional monthly pricing. Archicad Studio is USD 2,414 per year with optional monthly licensing, and while it does not include other components, users can optionally add BIMcloud SaaS at USD 47 per month (annual). Pricing can vary per region, so check specific pricing at your Graphisoft Store. (USA store).

Volume of New Content =  4 —   Total list of new features is on the lower side for this annual update compared to historical data, and its major new feature, the AI Assistant, is still in beta.

The post Product Review: Archicad 29 with AI Assistant (beta) appeared first on Architosh.

The 2026 release refines its multi-disciplinary approach by integrating 2D drafting, 3D modeling, rendering, and data management within a single environment. Its hybrid modeling system allows users to move fluidly between conceptual sketches and detailed construction models, while maintaining compatibility with industry standards such as IFC, DWG, and Revit files.

The latest version introduces improved graphics performance, faster section and viewport updates, and enhanced AI-driven drafting aids that automate routine layout and annotation tasks. A reworked resource browser and more consistent UI elements make file management and navigation smoother. 

The integration with Twinmotion and Enscape continues to strengthen real-time visualization workflows, supplementing Maxon Cinema4D native online rendering.

A Vectorworks Architect scene (created by the author) rendered using Enscape Renderer, which can live sync with the BIM solution.

Overall, Vectorworks Designer 2026 is a highly flexible design tool, appealing to users who value versatility and independence from more rigid BIM ecosystems. Its strength lies in combining creative freedom with increasingly capable BIM functionality.

This review focuses mostly on its use in the architects’ office but its capabilities in interior design, landscape design, lighting design, and site design make it especially useful for firms with multiple disciplines in the office framework.

Vectorworks Overview

Vectorworks was originally developed in the 1980s as MiniCAD on the Mac platform. It began its journey as a 3D modeling program and one of the very first high-quality professional CAD and 3D modeling software systems for the burgeoning MacOS platform. By the mid-1990s, MiniCAD had quickly become a favorite CAD tool for architects around the world, from the UK and US to Switzerland and Japan, architects on the Mac loved its famed ease-of-use and conformity to the Apple MacDraw UI way of doing things. The software became famous for how easy it was to use, but also for its graphical capabilities. All of those things remain today.

For architects on Vectorworks, they have long enjoyed the software’s hybrid 2D/3D nature, including its BIM-orientation in the last decade of its development. Architects feel the tool works the way architects want to work. It conforms to a WYSIWYG philosophy. The final product for architects is construction documents in sheet sets, and what you see is what you get in Vectorworks. Using its viewports technology, drawing sheets are composed (or pasted up) onto sheet layers (equal to paper space in AutoCAD lingo). Viewports enable users to zero in on exactly the parts of drawings and 3D BIM models they want to show on composed drawing sheets, setting scale and visualization attributes governing line weights and foreground and background rendering options (more on that later). Users can also copy and paste in image files (jpegs, etc), PDFs, and text to fully compose sheets as they want them to be.

For those who don’t know Vectorworks Architect, let me summarize at a high level its features:

Drafting and Modeling

• Comprehensive 2D drafting and sketching tools.
• Push and Pull 3D Modeling Tools (similar to SketchUp) but using solids modeling.
• Advanced Parasolid-based 3D modeling tools: Solid modeling, NURBS modeling, Direct and Parametric editing features.
• Conceptual and massing modeling workflows for early design.

Vectorworks Architect’s modeling toolset is built on the world’s best 3D geometry kernel (Parasolids) and enables architects’ comprehensive freeform modeling capabilities once they have invested in the training.

A freeform modeling example from a project by the author, using Vectorworks’ native rendering capabilities.

As an example of freeform modeling, the image above of a bell tower shows a simple example of what is possible with the program. Textures can be added to supplement those already included in the program, or they can be created from sources such as photographs of natural materials.

BIM and Data Management

• Comprehensive BIM authoring environment with IFC import/export functionalities.
• Extensive file exchange features, including Revit, SketchUp, Rhino, and AutoCAD.
• Fully parametric intelligent building objects (walls, doors, windows, roofs, etc).
• Automated worksheets and reports from BIM objects.
• Dynamic data assignment and data visualization.
• Materials, accurate quantification, and embodied carbon energy tracking.

While the youngest true BIM solution in the Nemetschek Group’s arsenal of BIM platforms, Vectorworks Architect 2026 has at times led the BIM industry in various leading-edge BIM capabilities, as we will discuss again in this review with its advanced Depth Cue features. But beyond its famed graphics capabilities, Vectorworks today is the only BIM solution on the market that can enable users to export backward to previous Autodesk Revit versions, and it offloads (and automates) those tasks to Vectorworks Cloud servers.

Documentation

• Automatic sections, elevations, and details.
• Sheet layers and the industry’s most advanced viewport technologies.
• Smart title blocks and revision management.
• Advanced dimensioning and annotation tools.
• PDF, DWG and export options.

Vectorworks’ title block technology has been around for awhile, but it shouldn’t be forgotten. Once installed, changes to the title block are automatically applied to all sheets. It is a big time saver and helps eliminate mistakes. Change an issue date, or a name, any change in the title block, and all 200 sheets are updated instantly. No one has to go through each sheet and update it.  

Visualization

• Real-time shaded views and Redshift rendering.
• Renderworks (Cinema 4D engine) for photoreal output.
• Integrated Enscape, Lumion, and Twinmotion via LiveSync rendering.
• 3D perspectives, animations, and presentation boards.
• Real-time walkthroughs in 3D for client presentations.

Real-time shaded views are not so unique to Vectorworks, but the program executes them very well with its many onboard rendering engines and options. Its visualization strengths make designing fun and can make a project come alive for clients. Users can fly around, zoom in, zoom out, and see how all the parts of a design fit together, discover issues and conflicts, and then resolve them.

Collaboration, AI, and Automation

• DWG, RVT, IFC, and SKP import/export.
• Multi-user Project Sharing.
• Vectorworks Cloud Services.
• AI command and tool search.
• Early-stage auto-dimensions and drafting assistant.
• Python scripting and Vectorscript.
• Marionette visual scripting (like Grasshopper) for custom parametric object creation and manipulation.

It should also be said that Vectorworks Cloud has numerous automation features where users can offload time-consuming processes from import and exporting to and from Revit, to stakeholder file sharing with markup capabilities and more.

Vectorworks Architect 2026: What’s New

AI Tools in Version 2026

Vectorworks 2026 introduces new AI (artificial intelligence) features, among them updates to its previous AI technologies. These moves mark the company’s first substantial step toward machine-assisted design within a CAD/BIM environment.

Vectorworks AI Visualizer was previously released back in 2024, but has received enhancements in version 2026. The latest improvements boast faster editing and image quality, particularly sharper image quality, a new dark mode, and a cleaner layout with tooltips. Vectorworks AI Visualizer is an integrated generative tool that produces conceptual imagery directly from project data or text prompts. It enables designers to explore massing, lighting, and material concepts early in the design process without leaving the application or relying on third-party rendering software. This feature bridges the gap between sketching and visualization, accelerating the transition from idea to form.

MORE: Deeper Dimensions—Vectorworks 2026 Redefines BIM Visuals and Data

Complementing that is the Vectorworks AI Assistant (Preview), a context-aware help system built on a proprietary dataset rather than general web content. It interprets user queries in plain language, identifies relevant commands or workflows, and provides direct links or actions inside the software. This is a great tool for new users or anyone not familiar with recent updates.

Overall, Vectorworks 2026’s AI features remain in an early stage but are distinctly purpose-built. They emphasize augmenting design thinking and workflow efficiency rather than replacing manual drafting.

New Depth Cueing

The new Depth Cueing features give elevations, sections, and 3D views a sense of depth. That is one way to look at it; another way is that it allows one to focus on a particular area of the building or space. One can show a rendered elevation that shows the part of the building behind the elevation faded, so the viewer focuses on the important part. At first, it seems mostly for presentations. As always, a picture is worth a thousand words/text. Even in construction drawings, pictures make the project easier to understand.

So rendered elevations, sections, and interior views don’t have to be just for client presentations; they can also be part of the construction documents. Depth cueing adds a new way of looking at the project.  It is fairly easy to use. Of course, the first step is an accurate model. Scrolling around the model in shaded view makes finding the right view easy and fast, or one can just pick a simple front or side view. A viewport is made and placed on a sheet layer. It can be rendered in color/shaded or hidden line. Then, from object info, select background rendering and depth queuing becomes an option. Here, sliders let you adjust the depth of the fully rendered area and the background fade.  The truly interesting feature is that this view is not just a bitmapped image but also includes vector lines.

Depth cueing in action on the author’s residential project showing the atmospheric and depth-producing qualities of the new features.

There are several selections to be made: textures, colors, anti-aliasing, and whether to draw edges on or off.  Selecting draw edges does just that; the lines can be thickened to emphasize the building outline as a viewport, and one can then add notes and dimensions.  While it may seem primarily a presentation feature at first, it can be used to create highly informative elevations and sections.  It also needs to be mentioned that shaded views are very light; they add very little to the file size.  Here is a tool that will be used on projects large and small, though bigger models will require longer processing times.

2D Detailing for Walls, Doors, and Windows

This makes the link between 3D and 2D drawings much tighter. One can now control how doors, windows, and walls display at different levels of detail with far more granular control. This means fewer redlines, fewer inconsistencies, and less time cleaning up.

Door and Window Assemblies Tool 

This new feature is a new way to combine doors, windows, panels, and wall infills into one parametric object. If you’ve ever struggled to model complex openings and then had to patch them together in 2D, this will make life easier.  It is not just a 2D tool; it’s a powerful 3D smart component for your more complex facades and storefronts.

Worksheet Improvements

Worksheets can now be sliced, linked, and spread across pages with better headers and formatting. For big projects with long door or window schedules, or apartment types, this makes documentation cleaner and easier to manage.  It is also worth noting that on many projects, Excel is used to generate large lists of items such as apartment types and features, schedules, and code compliance requirements.

Mixed assemblies are now easy to create, edit, and manage, including with styles. They can also include panel wall segments.

These large Excel worksheets—which can have live-links to the native Vectorworks worksheets and work bi-directionally across both Windows and Mac platforms (a feature no other BIM tools have built in)—can take up pages in length. In the past, users would use the program’s viewport features to manually split them into parts and arrange them on sheets. This is no longer necessary with the new splice feature. And when you splice a worksheet, its fixed header rows can automatically appear at the top.

File Health Checker

Think of this as a diagnostic tool for your project files. It finds hidden geometry and inefficiencies and suggests cleanup. (see image below). Large files will stay lighter and more stable. Note: this feature is only available to subscription users. Probably worth the price of a subscription by itself.  Large files with lots of junk in them can wreak havoc on your workday, causing computer crashes and corrupted files.

Cloud Processing for Revit Imports 

If you work with consultants who send big Revit models, you’ll appreciate this. Instead of tying up your computer while the file imports or exports, you can offload the work to Vectorworks Cloud Services and keep working. And here is something that is unique to Vectorworks.

Vectorworks Cloud can import or export to various past versions of the Revit file format, making it a cloud-based automated pipeline for handling a range of Revit file formats. This is huge because Revit itself is only “forward compatible,” meaning it can generally open older versions, but even then, there can be issues. However, Revit has no “Save As” function to save a file to a previous version. Welcome, Vectorworks Cloud, to the rescue. If a Vectorworks firm receives a Revit 2024 file, they can use Vectorworks Cloud to export backward to an earlier version without issue.

Massing Model Enhancements

There are a small number of meaningful 3D modeling updates that offer more flexibility in early design phases, especially for mixed-use buildings. Floor heights and usage data can now be applied right in the massing model, making feasibility studies more realistic.

Sustainability Dashboard

This is a brand-new tool that tracks embodied carbon, biodiversity net gain, greening factors, and more. It is discussed in length in this Architect feature here. Not every office will use this right away, but it’s a clear step toward meeting regulatory requirements and client expectations on environmental performance. Now, a requirement for large projects in California, for example. Preparing a true sustainability report is time-consuming because all project materials must be documented.

The new File Health Checker palette automatically scans, flags, and resolves common geometry and resource issues, helping maintain clean, high-performing models. Image courtesy of Vectorworks.

This tool will make it easier, but it is likely to be used primarily by consultants or large firms in the more immediate future.

So those are the major new features in Vectorworks Architect 2026. The Sustainability Dashboard is a rather bigger deal than just its application to sustainability and green building. The reason is that the Maryland-based BIM-CAD company created a foundational new software platform for taking any kind of data in a Vectorworks file (specifically object data or data attached to objects) and enabling a new way to visualize it. Today, it is sustainability data, but in the future, Vectorworks users will likely be able to craft their own custom dashboards around data that is exactly meaningful to them.

Vectorworks for Large Firms

One area that needs to be cleared up is the perception of Vectorworks as a “small-firm tool”. In the United States, especially, this is an outdated view. Globally, Vectorworks-based international and design-oriented practices scale successfully to the enterprise level and are a mainstream BIM platform. You can read about some of them in case studies here. One such global enterprise is Starbucks‘ internal design and development division. While not well-known, this publication has been aware of this Fortune 500 enterprise’s use of Vectorworks for years.

In several regions—particularly parts of Europe and Japan—Vectorworks holds a major share of the architectural market. In Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Australia, and Japan, Vectorworks Architect is widely used as a primary BIM platform by architects. The reasons are largely cultural and technical: these markets favor flexible, design-driven workflows and open BIM interoperability (IFC and BCF standards), which Vectorworks has emphasized for more than a decade. These markets don’t suffer from the negative network effects germane to markets with a near-monopoly solution.

Closing Thoughts and Recommendations

Vectorworks Architect 2026 doesn’t reinvent the program; it refines it in ways that directly benefit its users. There has been a considerable amount of code work in the past year applied to foundational capabilities that will help roll out new abilities in the near future (such as the tech behind the new Sustainability Dashboards).

Vectorworks continues to cede no ground to competitors in the domain of “graphics abilities.” The new Depth Cueing technology is unique and ahead of the industry. Drawings look better, data is cleaner, and files are more stable—especially now, thanks to the new File Health Checker.

In terms of recommendations? For offices already invested in Vectorworks, these are meaningful improvements. Vectorworks remains a flexible, all-in-one tool that balances design freedom with robust BIM and documentation. Part of the appeal of Vectorworks is that users aren’t supposed to start a project in Rhino or SketchUp as they do in Revit-based offices. Vectorworks’s Parasolid-based geometry kernel, paired with built-in Push-Pull modeling, sketch to modeling features, and Python-based Marionette (remember, this is like Grasshopper scripting) algorithmic-aided design (AAD) features, means users have everything they need in one tool.

For many architects around the world, that’s a combination that is hard to beat.

Pros

1. Integrated 2D + 3D workflow. Strong hybrid drawing system. You can sketch, model, and document in one file without leaving the environment.
2. Design-centric modeling. Freer geometry creation than Revit or Archicad. Easier to iterate conceptually or produce presentation models.
3. Depth cueing and new 2D detailing tools make drawings look better with less effort.
4. Door & Window Assemblies simplify complex modeling.
5. File Health Checker (subscription only) and cloud processing keep large projects manageable.
6. Sustainability Dashboard helps prepare for environmental regulations.
7. Worksheets and reporting are easier to manage on big projects.
8. Built-in rendering. Cinema 4D-based Renderworks is included, so photorealistic output needs no external engine. 
9. The integration with Twinmotion and Enscape provide real-time visualization workflows.
10. Cross-disciplinary scope. One package covers architecture, landscape, lighting, and interiors. Attractive to firms that handle multiple project types.
11. Lower cost of entry. Subscription price is below Revit or Archicad, enabling firms to apply those savings to more powerful hardware. 
12. Simpler licensing and independence. Works offline, no enforced cloud tie-in.

Cons

1. Requires decent hardware, which may not be cost-effective for larger firms with many employees doing simple tasks.
2. Some advanced features, like file health checker and AI help, require a subscription, and cloud services available to all are limited without a subscription.
3. In the North American market, there are fewer consultants using open BIM workflows, and this gives Vectorworks users a bigger challenge. 
4. Speed and stability on large BIM models. In the domain of handling extreme geometry and full multidisciplinary BIM at scale, Vectorworks tends to perform slightly behind ArchiCAD (for architecture-centric large models) and behind Revit (for large team/collaboration-heavy BIM). 
5. Full-cycle BIM data management. Vectorworks has strong 3D modeling and documentation, but weaker parameter consistency and object-based data integrity.

Advice: The new Depth Cue features make this a must-have update for existing users who are heavily leveraging Vectorworks’ 3D and BIM capabilities with rendered views. And the same can be said for users leveraging Vectorworks’s worksheet tools. For folks only thinking about using Vectorworks or considering it more for a 2D architectural environment, we have said this before that no other program offers this much in features and capability for the cost. At the value level, Vectorworks leads the industry’s top tier. 

Price:  Depends on licensing type, including monthly, annual subscription, and  Service Select membership. Vectorworks Architect is USD 1,530 per year.  Click here for more info.

Volume of New Content =  4 —   The volume of new features in this Vectorworks Architect release is less than in recent annual updates, likely due to foundational technology development time, such as the tech behind the new Dashboard technologies. 

Quality of Execution =  4.5 —  As usual, most of the new features are beautifully executed, including the new worksheet splitting feature, a favorite of the company’s staff. The author notes that Vectorworks does require robust hardware for the best performance on larger models. Improvements to the Vectorworks Graphics Module (VGM) are ongoing. Architosh does not have a performance test method for Vectorworks. 

Underlying Technologies =  5 —   Vectorworks Architect 2026 supports both Windows and MacOS at advanced levels—meaning it leverages OS-specific technologies to optimize performance across graphics and underlying OS features. The BIM platform is also built on Parasolid, the world’s most advanced industrial-strength modeling kernel (engine). And its mobile tool (Nomad) is built on Unity, which is Apple’s choice behind its Apple VisionPro headset. Vectorworks has the most modern (young) code base in the entire top-tier BIM industry for BIM 1.0 era (desktop era) tools. 

Future Proofing =  4.5 —  Its underlying technologies are particularly advantageous to leveraging future Windows on ARM mobile computers, along with changes to Windows CAD and BIM solutions that are moving away from OpenGL to combinations of DirectX or Vulkan. Vectorworks’s underlying VGM gives the company flexibility to optimize OS-specific graphics APIs on both Mac and Windows.

The post Product Review: Vectorworks Architect 2026 appeared first on Architosh.

This new Intel GPU also delivers high performance on AI workloads as well as professional workstation 3D computer graphics. As AI increasingly infuses our common workloads, the Xᵉ2 GPUs on the Intel card feature dedicated AI hardware and matrix engines, known as Intel Xᵉ Matrix Extension (XMX). Each Vector Engine is paired with an XMX AI engine capable of 2048 FP16 ops/clock and 4096 INT8 ops/clock.

General Introduction

For our Architosh readers, we have focused on AEC/O application workloads rather than AI performance workloads. Readers are advised to refer to this and this for additional information on the B50’s performance characteristics for AI workloads.

Intel Arc PRO B50 is an SFF, Dual-Slot workstation-class GPU with impressive performance characteristics and excellent value, priced at an MSR of 349.00 USD.

We reviewed our Intel Arc PRO B50 on our trusty BOXX APPEX E3 workstation running the Windows 10 Professional operating system. This is the same exact rig and setup as all our past GPU card reviews, dating back to the AMD Radeon Pro W6600 GPU in the fall of 2021. The Intel GPU is priced at 349.00 USD (suggested retail price).

For purposes of direct comparison, we also tested an NVIDIA RTX A1000 GPU, which sells for between 404 and 508.00 USD (in other words, similarly priced). We will use these prices (using the lower number) for the purposes of our GPU economics charts and calculations (see page 3). In other words, when we compute performance on a per-dollar basis between the Intel Arc PRO B50 and the NVIDIA RTX A1000 reference card, we will use 404 USD for the calculations on the Nvidia side.

GPU Details: Intel Arc PRO B50

The B50 is a small form-factor (SFF) dual-slot GPU card that boasts 16 GB of GDDR6 memory, which is twice the amount provided by the Nvidia RTX A1000 reference GPU. Built on the new Xᵉ2 Architecture, the BMG-G21 GPU provides excellent performance across AAA games, workstation graphics, and running ML/AI workloads. Key details include:

• 128 Xᵉ Vector Engines
• 128 XMX Matric Engines
• 16 Ray Tracing Units
• 170 TOPS (INT8)
• TSMC N5 node (19.6 B / 272mm2)

• PCI Express x8 Gen5 (x16 Physical)
• OpenGL 4.6 / Vulkan 1.4 / DirectX 12 Ultimate / OpenCL 3.0
• 16 GB GDDR6
• 224 GB/s memory bandwidth
• 4 Displays (up to 8K120 HDR) (DisplayPort 2.1) (4X 4K120 HDR)
• Up to 7680×4320 @ 60Hz (DisplayPort 2.1)
• 70W max power consumption (no auxiliary power needed)
• SFF, Dual Slot
• VR Ready

The Intel BMG-GPU SoC (System on a Chip) is illustrated in the image at the bottom of the page. Click on the image for a larger view to see details of the chip design.

New Design and Chip Architecture

The Intel Arc PRO B50 is a discrete GPU card built by Intel, and the famed semiconductor company says it has taken feedback from its A-series customers and redesigned the platform and thermal solution, improving efficiency and acoustics. In our own testing, we were impressed with how quiet the unit was under multiple testing scenarios and general usage.

The Intel Arc PRO B50 is installed in our BOXX testing workstation. The SFF, Dual-slot GPU card does not require auxiliary power and runs from the PCIe slot itself. The overall installation and setup of both the card and the driver software were straightforward.

The actual GPU card is striking visually, with Intel’s signature blue being incorporated as accents and on an entire side of the CPU. As for the new compute architecture, the updated second-generation Xᵉ2 Architecture features a wider SIMD16 width for improved efficiency and compatibility, as well as a 33% larger L1 cache with a total capacity of 256 KB. The Ray Tracing Units are also second generation in this B50 GPU, and the benchmarks and visuals during testing attest to the strength of Intel’s GPU solution.

A side-view of the Intel Arc PRO B50 GPU card. Intel redesigned the thermal architecture in this B-series version.

In fact, for AEC workloads, which we focus on here at Architosh, the rendering performance of the Intel Arc PRO B50 makes this GPU a surprisingly good choice for lower-tier workstations. But we are jumping ahead of ourselves, but you will see it in the benchmarks we provide below (we do all of our testing ourselves).

The Intel Arc PRO B50 is powered by the MBG-G21 GPU SoC (system on chip). (click to make larger).

Since benchmark performance is where the rubber meets the road, let’s go to the next page to see how Intel’s latest professional GPU card stacks up against its primary Nvidia competitor and even some previously reviewed GPU cards and SoCs.

next page: Benchmarking and Performance Results

The post Product Review: Intel Arc Pro B50 GPU for Workstations appeared first on Architosh.

General Summary

This graphics card is a professional application-oriented GPU board designed for use in professional workstations. It has been on the market for quite some time, but recently, Nvidia sent us a version to review, and we have done the most exhaustive review of a GPU to date. We should note that the last mid-tier professional GPU we reviewed was from AMD with its Radeon Pro W6600, which was designed to compete with this GPU’s immediate predecessor, the Ampere-generation RTX A4000. Because we never reviewed this GPU’s predecessor, we have relied on some published benchmarks below.

Nvidia’s mid-tier 4000-class GPU models are generally ideal for AEC professionals who are involved in a fair amount of real-time and photo-realistic rendering workflows, whether in supplement to BIM or not. This is also the case for product design and MCAD professionals; those doing more rendering workflows will see greater value benefits from this GPU. (see Conclusions on the last page for more info).

Image 1: Nvidia’s RTX 4000 Ada generation GPU for workstations is the most powerful professional workstation-class single-slot GPU in the market. (Image: Nvidia)

The RTX 4000 Ada GPU is the successor to the RTX A4000 Ampere generation GPU. For the purposes of our GPU economics charts and calculations, we are using MSRP pricing for the 4000 Ada GPU at USD 1,250, while the initial price for the Ampere generation predecessor GPU was USD 1,000 when first released in April 2021.

The Nvidia Ampere generation GPU we tested and reviewed was the RTX A2000 SFF GPU, and we have carried over benchmarks for non-direct comparison. The Ampere generation’s rival AMD Radeon Pro GPU was the W6600, which we also reviewed a few years ago. Again, we have carried over some comparison benchmarks.

Image 2: The Nvidia RTX 4000 Ada GPU inside our BOXX Technologies testing workstation. The GPU cannot draw all its power from the PCIe slot, so it includes a standard 16-pin 12VHPWR connector for direct connection to the power supply. (Image: Architosh)

In-house benchmarking is a tough business, especially if working on different systems. That is not our case. Our review of the RTX 4000 Ada GPU ran on the same BOXX workstation as our previously reviewed GPUs under the same Windows 10 Professional operating system.

While we will summarize our conclusions at the end of the review, some highlights about the RTX 4000 Ada GPU to bring up now include the following:

• Most powerful single-slot GPU for professional workstation computing
• substantial performance gains in apps like V-ray, Arnold, and Blender
• DLSS is supported in Enscape and upscales with AI
• Ada generation brings dual encode/decode engines (2 encode / 2 decode engines)
• AD1 code support
• Excellent ventilation with blower style thermal design versus gaming card thermals

The RTX 4000 Ada GPU is powered by Nvidia’s AD104 graphics processor, built on TSMCs 4nm process node. The 4N node is a custom node designed for Nvidia and differs from its regular N4 node. The custom node for Nvidia lays an emphasis on its power efficiency.

Image 3: The Nvidia AD104 chip powers the Nvidia’s RTX 4000 Ada GPU. The chip is built on TSMC’s 4nm process node. (Image: Nvidia)

To put the chip into perspective, the die area is around 294 mm² and contains 35.8 billion transistors. The predecessor chip in the A4000 Ampere was the GA104 chip with 17.4 billion transistors, similar in size to Apple’s M1 chip at 16 billion transistors. We bring up the M1 because we will make some comparisons to SoCs in our review. The important take-away is that there are twice as many transistors in this Ada generation RTX 4000 GPU.

GPU Economics

As part of our review work, we like to compare GPUs on a performance-per-dollar basis, but we calculate this a bit differently than the common formula. We divide the cost of the chip or GPU by the benchmark score to obtain the cost of one compute unit (i.e., the cost in dollars to obtain one unit of measure on the benchmark). In our charts, our notation for “compute unit” is “CU.”

• Cost in USD per Compute Unit (CU) =  cost of GPU / benchmark score

You can see this kind of metric in our review of a GPU workstation here. We began this type of benchmark because we have begun research into methods of economically optimizing workstation configurations across both GPU and CPU for specific workflows. Such work is in an early phase and explained in a feature article titled, “BIM Manager: The Economic Value of Workstation Performance,” inside Xpresso newsletter #44.

Our GPU economics charts are partial and selective, but hopefully informative. This kind of metric allows you to compare the value proposition of different chips, especially in isolation, to a specific application or type of workflow. However, one must keep in mind that benchmark scores alone do not tell the whole story of “value” or “performance,” as overall system performance impacts GPU performance. Furthermore, workstation-class GPUs offer other tangible and intangible benefits, including the certification of professional applications.

Since we have so many benchmarks to test, which ones do you select for performance per dollar calculation and comparison? We have selected three:

• (1) Creo and Solidworks (OpenGL-based) composite tests
• (2) Creo (OpenGL shaded and edge performance) tests
• (3) Cinebench GPU (Redshift Renderer) tests

The first two are SPECviewperf tests and are widely regarded for OpenGL-based 3D CAD applications. Redshift is widely deployed across DCC apps plus all of Nemetschek Group’s AEC BIM solutions as a render option. We review these three performance per dollar metrics at the end of our Benchmarking section below.

GPU Details: RTX 4000 Ada

Nvidia’s RTX 4000 Ada generation GPU is a full-size single-slot GPU that boasts 20 GB of video memory, which is more than the 16 GB that shipped on its predecessor Ampere generation GPU. Details include:

• 6,144 CUDA Cores
• 48 3rd-gen RT (raytracing) cores
• 192 4th-gen Tensor cores
• 26.7 peak TeraFlops single-precision (FP32)
• Nvidia AD104 chip

• PCI Express 4 x 16 for advanced data transfer
• OpenGL 4.6 / Vulkan 1.3 / DirectX 12 Shader Model 6.7
• 20 GB GDDR6 with ECC memory
• 360 GB/s peak memory bandwidth
• 4x DisplayPort 1.4a
• 2x 7680 x 4320 @ 60 Hz max resolution
• 130W max power consumption
• Single-Slot, full height, 4.4″ H x 9.5″ L
• VR Ready

Compute APIs support CUDA 12.2, OpenCL 3.0 and DirectCompute. Nvidia NVlink = no.

Those are the specs at a glance. This is Nvidia’s most powerful single-slot GPU ever and the ideal GPU for demanding professionals across CAD industries like AEC, DCC, MCAD, in addition to science, medicine, energy, financial and software development.

Image 3.1 — Nvidia RTX 4000 Ada GPU, showing its blower-style thermal design. (Image: Nvidia)

As generative AI technologies begin to dominate the focus of professional application workflows, the Nvidia RTX 4000 Ada GPU unlocks accelerated AI compute workloads. We have also noted the new DLSS support for Enscape, which stands for Deep Learning Super Sampling), which is AI-powered upscaling. This game-inspired technology enables game rendering at lower resolution and then uses deep learning to upscale the image to a higher resolution. This technology is inside the popular AEC rendering software Enscape, starting with version 3.1.

next page: Benchmarking and Performance Results

The post Product Review: Nvidia RTX 4000 Ada GPU appeared first on Architosh.

Naturally, it is also essential to frame a review of any BIM authoring platform—and by “authoring,” we mean a comprehensive design and documentation BIM platform for architecture professionals—against a set of industry issues in the architectural market. Those issues were highlighted dramatically in 2020 when the first Revit Open Letter was published. 

The mature BIM authoring systems of which Archicad was arguably the first and best innovator needed to meet the demands of continued development velocity, particularly considering foundational technicalities like multi-threading, GPU acceleration, data interoperability (IFC and more), and in general, rise to the values of modern computing including mobile+cloud. There was also the demand for advanced geometry creation for complex designs and licensing models that were fair to architecture firms. 

A view of a tower project with the new Design Options palette shown. Both facade and plan options for this sample project are visible in the new palette. (click on the image to see it bigger)

In the interim period since the Open Letter—which included a global pandemic—rendering tools integration, generative and computational design front-end optionality, capacity for remote work with individuals and teams, and now AI were added. 

Archicad Measured

Looking at all those criteria, Archicad has excelled over the years. The company introduced its bi-directional connections to Rhino-Grasshopper years before McNeel pushed out its Rhino-Inside tools for Revit, Archicad’s chief rival. It also crushed industry rivals rounding the bases by exploiting modern multi-core CPUs. It is easy to go on and demonstrate its leadership across many of the Open Letter complaint categories, as well. Suffice it to say, against this leadership—meaning its competitors were mainly in the rearview mirror—Graphisoft has been confronted with another series of challenges. 

The first was the very disruptive chip architecture change on the Mac platform. Apple introduced the M1 chip—an ARM architecture chip called Apple Silicon— on 10 November 2020. The pandemic year one had many shocks. This would be a good one, but it would come with a heavy lift that chief rival Autodesk Revit could ignore because Revit is pinned to a Windows Intel X86 tech stack and does not run on the Mac. 

Then, Autodesk purchased Spacemaker a week later after Apple introduced its M1 chip. When the company’s CEO said on Architosh for the first time in print, “That a file is a dead thing working,” it signaled the cloud and the rise of the API connection through the cloud as a new and better path forward for interop. 

Measured against this context, which was now shifting, Archicad still looks ahead in the market. Former Graphisoft CEO Huw Roberts stated in an in-person interview at Graphisoft Park that “we believe in the famous Wayne Gretzky quote—skate to where the puck is going to be, not where it has been.” 

Archicad 27 

Living by that mantra—often cited by the company’s hero, Steve Jobs—meant that only true innovation is worth pursuing.

Chasing crude steps to improve quarterly financial statements ultimately leads to huge risks in missing major moments of industry change. Both Intel and Microsoft committed that mistake and got locked out of the smartphone explosion. 

So, how is Archicad doing in version 27? What new features truly stand out and showcase its innovative legacy?  

Optioneering—Integrated Design Options 

Archicad 27’s new Integrated Design tools were first hinted at in July 2022 in Budapest when the company invited select industry press for its Graphisoft 40th anniversary event. There, the company unveiled its strategic architecture roadmap for 2022 – 2025. “Choice Consideration” was a significant theme for 2023’s release. What-if scenarios and managing variances in design are all embedded in this release. 

The Design Options tools in version 27 are an exciting take on developing options for architects and designers. Graphisoft provided us with a tower test file. The tower’s design featured multiple design options for us to review. With a dedicated Design Options tool palette, the user can change which option is visible and toggle between them.  

Design options are easy to organize into layout sheets like this one. (click on the image to see it bigger.)

There is also a Design Option Manager palette where the user can manage individual “named” design options and design option combinations. For instance, the test file showed massing options combined with curtain wall options and furniture layout options. 

These design options are also visible in the Views section of the Navigator palette. However, you use the Design Options palette to turn options on or off as you work. The palette lets you colorize and fade elements outside the design option you are working on to help you see what you are working on inside of an option. 

Design Options showing the Design Options palette with the Fade Environment button turned on. The facade is the design option element, and the remainder of the building is visually suppressed. (click on the image)

For example, in this image, the elements being worked on are the façades, and the rest of the elements are highly faded (appear white). (see image above). The two images below show how plan views look. Note that the user must double-click on an option in the Design Options palette for the option to be considered both “worked on” and rendered in original or custom colors. 

An example of a design option in plan. (click on image)

An example of a design option in plan. (click on image)

Earlier, it was noted how important generative and computational design front-end optionality is. As for computational design and Design Options integration, the company reports those capabilities are on their public roadmap with both dedicated nodes and other future capabilities. This may mean both design options working with the Grasshopper connection technologies and, perhaps, different methods internal to Archicad. 

Distance Guides

Archicad 27’s new distance guides are compelling as they greatly speed up modeling and the placement of elements. Moving elements in Archicad has never been truly difficult, but in some cases, precisely moving elements in Archicad might present as more complicated than it needed to be.

With the new Distance Guides features, users will do a lot less hitting the L key to deploy the built-in guides feature. Let’s look at an example inside the Graphisoft Park building—home of the Hungary-based Archicad team. 

An image showing the new Distance Guides. (click on image)

If I want to check that a toilet in a stall is the correct distance from a partition, I can utilize the Distance Guides feature as soon as I select the toilet. The blue guides appear with distances that can be clicked into, typed, and changed. Clicking into, typing into, and changing a distance will immediately move the element in the model. (see image above).

In another example, checking a door’s distance shows that the guides are showing the distances between the doors. If I select the arrow part of the blue distance guide, it turns orange (the line and arrow both), and I can slide the arrow to other elements, and the distances automatically appear updated. This is a distance query function of sorts, enabling me to see the distance from the door to the partition wall. (see image below).

I can manipulate the distance guides and use them as a query tool. I can click on a distance guide, and the dimension turns into an orange-yellow arrow that I can slide to other elements to get live dimension data. (click on image above).

I can see it is 50, but if I want it to be 75, I can add 25 mm and automatically move the door the distance I want it from the partition wall. 

Distance Guides present pop-up blue dimensions between selected elements and surrounding elements. They can be used to edit walls, columns, beams, windows, doors, and openings. 

When selecting an element, distance guides may initially take dimensions to build grid lines. When you zoom into an element closer, the guides move to closer elements like walls. (click on image above).

They also work with plumbing fixtures and furniture. Where the blue distance guides snap to depends on where you hover your mouse. In the tower project, I was able to select the chair. If I zoom in on it, the guides show it to the nearest walls and other nearby items. If I zoom out, they go to the building grid. 

As discussed before, I could move them by clicking on the arrow to query other distances. 

Graphic Override Groups

Graphic Overrides have always been an innovative feature inside Archicad, but their use is a bit complex. Those who use them extensively may generate very long lists of rules. 

Now, when you create a new rule, you can add that rule to a graphic override group via a pop-up. To create a new group, you do this in the Graphic Override Rules palette. At the bottom left is a new icon with a folder and a plus icon on it. Click this to create a new group. My group is named Architosh RULES, as shown in the image below. Note that I have no graphic override rules. 

Graphic Override Groups is a new feature in Archicad 27. You can drag existing rules into your group or create fresh new ones. (click on image above).

I can now add a rule to my group in a familiar way by clicking the plus icon to the right of my named group. I can also drag existing rules into my group folder. While a more minor feature, the Graphic Override Groups feature will benefit users utilizing Graphic Overrides. 

Visualization

Release 27 highlights better graphics and visuals. Physically based rendering in Archicad 3D views is a new (though experimental) feature. 

The coolest new feature for some in this update will be for Mac-based Archicad users waiting for Mac Enscape support. Now that Enscape is available for the Mac version of Archicad, it will be a must-have feature for Mac-based Archicad users who also utilize Enscape. 

Interestingly, these rendering Enscape features are only available for Subscription, Forward, and SSA users. 

Multi-Disciplinary / Open BIM

With the integration of DDScad a few years ago, what we learned at the 40th-anniversary event in Budapest in the summer of 2022 was that eventually, DDS’s technology would be integrated with the foundation BIM technology in Archicad. This has happened in version 27 with Graphisoft saying in “terms of interface, modeling, and technology,” Archicad’s MEP Modeler is essentially new! 

For existing users of the MEP Modeler, the changeover in technology and workflow may have come with some adjustments. However, they are gaining new capabilities. Routing is now simplified, and a new modern API exists for third-party developers to do integrations. The “multilane roadmap” discussed in the summer of 2022 referred to “Integrated Design” and pointed at both Open BIM and DDScad. 

Graphisoft 27’s further integrated DDScad technology has updated the MEP Modeler in the BIM application. (click on the image).

On the Integrated Design front, the SAF technologies that link structural analytical models to the structural components of the BIM model also gain new capabilities from Archicad 27. This enables the faster placement of loads and the manual adjustment of structural analytical models. When you run Model Compare with structural views, the list shows the parameters associated with the two models that were altered. 

Archicad 27 gains IFC4 certification for Architectural Reference Exchange for Import, plus RFA and RVT Geometry Exchange with Revit 2024. While we have not touched on everything in Archicad 27, these are most of the key improvement items in this release. 

BIMcloud and BIMx

As Archicad is a BIM platform, it also supports the biggest innovations in computer technology associated with the last decade: mobile and cloud. 

BIMx is now a BCF-compliant issue management tool. (Image: Graphisoft)

When it comes to the post-pandemic reality of remote work and remote teams, BIMcloud was easily the most superior technology in the BIM market when the world went into crisis mode in early 2020. BIMcloud was introduced at a Graphisoft event in Japan in 2014. Architosh witnessed its stunning Delta server technology and capabilities, which allowed teams on other continents to work together simultaneously. 

Today, users have options with BIMcloud, but the best one is the SaaS option. There is now a superior login method that ensures secure authentication. For architects working on government or similar projects with more stringent security needs, a future update will allow the BIMcloud server to run on a LAN. 

BIMx’s BCF-compliant issue management connects site and office workflows. (Image: Graphisoft)

One of the more prominent highlights for BIMx is the new accurate sun positioning to demonstrate real natural light and how it affects your designs. There is also a new dynamic skybox to improve the look of the sky, and users can easily use the sliders to change the date, time of day, and things like the shadow’s intensity. Setting “project north” is also possible and quite necessary. But BIMx is not just about visualization. There is also a new BCF-compliant issue creation using BIMx that turns the award-winning software into a collaboration technology. Finally, Graphisoft released support in BIMx a few weeks ago for the Apple Vision Pro headset.

Modern Code Indications

New in version 27 is the inability for Archicad to open much older versions. Graphisoft says this is to improve the sustainability of code in Archicad. It’s not entirely clear what is behind this mandate, but the path for users is to open up older files (pre-version 17) in Archicad 17 – 26 and save them in that format. Then, use Archicad 27 to open the file. 

Like “modern code,” Archicad 27 now supports the import and export of FBX. It also now supports system support for a dark interface option. Enable System Appearance will turn the UI dark during evening hours if this is a setting on your Mac computer. Presumably, this is a setting on Windows systems, but if not, then only Mac users gain this option. 

Like its sibling BIM application, Vectorworks, Archicad is also fully native for Apple Silicon (ARM) architecture chips and is fully on Apple Metal versus OpenGL on the Mac. New performance benchmarks for Apple’s latest M3 chip show impressive performance gains. Quick tests on our M1 Mac mini review machine showed excellent file open speeds and general navigation around the skyscraper model project.

The “demo kit stacked tower” project is 418 MB. We opened this project in just 17 seconds, but that did not include a dead start with Archicad; it was already running. It is unclear if the times listed on this page for file opening include starting up Archicad 27.

Analysis and Commentary

Like all technical reviews, we test specific features using, ideally, provided files where the new features are set up for us to explore quickly. The demo tower project was that project file, and we explored the Design Options the most in that file. Other tests were in the Graphisoft Headquarters building file. 

Going back to the criteria listed initially on where BIM needs to go and what it needs to be today, Archicad has long been an industry leader. Its BIMcloud SaaS solution works exceptionally well. The award-winning BIMx, which gains accurate sun and shadows, rounds out Graphisoft’s excellent leveraging of cloud and mobile technologies. It also recently gained markup features, and based on the public roadmap, there appears to be more to come. 

In terms of where BIM platforms need to go—and this goes to some of the Revit Open Letter demands—generative design in the front end is presently dependent on Grasshopper connectivity. Users are asking for more than that built into Archicad directly. There is also no multi-window support in Archicad. 

An example of the results of AI Visualizer in Archicad 27. (Image: Graphisoft).

Looking at the roadmap also reveals capabilities that could be already present, such as Reflected Ceiling Plans as a view type, plus Layers as a Palette, which would really aid users in learning Archicad faster, plus aid in view management. It would also provide “instant visibility” on changes in views instead of the trial-and-error method that users must use today.

Finally, back to where BIM must go, Archicad 27 now features an AI-powered visualizer as part of its Adaptive Hybrid Framework technology that promises to bring other exciting integrations via API connections. In this case, Stable Diffusion is integrated into the new AI Visualizer. 

Conclusions and Recommendations

In typical fashion, Archicad 27 features one landmark new feature, the Design Options. Overall, the latest content in version 27 does feel a tad light compared to previous versions, but that may be because the AI Visualizer didn’t come with the initial release but was meant to. When you add the AI Visualizer into the mix, the latest content in Archicad 27 feels very substantial. 

Also, at first blush, the Distance Guides feel simple. Still, despite whatever difficulty they are or were to pull off, they are a substantial new feature with legs to grow. Graphisoft aims to extend them to even 2D elements, which can aid detailing or regular drafting tasks. 

MORE: Chip Technologies, Geopolitics, and the CAD Industry

As a complete BIM ecosystem, many of Graphisoft’s new features this year in Archicad 27 pertain to the complement of AEC professionals, mainly structural and MEP engineers. The new MEP Modeler update is a significant item with a lot of backend code work by the company. 

For users on other BIM platforms, particularly its archrival, Archicad 27 continues to show its teeth. This is especially so if you are an architect or designer who prefers to tote a laptop for your workstation and are attracted to Apple’s M3-chip-based MacBook computers—the fastest on the planet. Archicad 27 and the M3 are indeed the “new power couple.” 

Version 27 is a solid annual update with two significant features that instantly deliver must-have value (Distance Guides and Design Options). The AI Visualizer adds a third major update for those doing rendering. And multiple other new features may carry equal or greater weight than those just mentioned, including, for Mac users, the new Enscape support. — END

Pros: Design Options and Distance guides add big value to end-users, while BIMx gains significant new capabilities with BCF-compliant issues management and new accurate sun shadows; full native Apple Silicon support means Archicad 27 runs on mobile workstations from Apple that run circles around Windows laptops at both power management and performance metrics. Mac Enscape support in his version is another boon for Mac-based architects. AI rendering and Vision Pro support came recently and added further value and industry leadership. 

Cons: Design Options need to support Archicad’s computational design capabilities vis-a-vis Grasshopper. Multi-window support with live in-sync updating is missing in Archicad. Not so in BIM rivals. An actual Layers palette with instant updates like in other tools is missing; the Group function does not provide “visual isolation” like some other tools either. And in the same comment aimed at its sister BIM tool, fast, easy, conceptual modeling (a la SketchUp) should be table stakes for any BIM platform. 

Advice: Archicad 27 is a very solid update with two main features that existing users will enjoy. Distance guides are actually more useful to everyday workflows than Design Options, but both shine. This is a very mature and feature-complete BIM innovator. Users of rival tools will admire numerous aspects of Archicad 27, making the Hungary-based BIM platform something to always keep on their radar. 

Cost: Depends on the licensing type, including cloud-based SaaS subscription licensing for the Solo version at USD 200 per month (annual billing rate) and Archicad Collaborate, which includes BIMcloud SaaS, plus BIMx Pro, at USD 225 per month (annual billing rate).

Volume of New Content =  4 —   AI Visualizer was not part of the initial release date, and it is a major new feature that is distinguished. But the good news is Archicad 27 users are benefitting from the feature now. 

Quality of Execution =  4.5 —  Most of the new features are beautifully executed, and the Distance Guides have some small surprising benefits. The new search features, Graphic Override Groups, and similar features fit into Archicad’s clear UI/UX logic. The speed of the large projects we used for the review was impressive, even on our M1 Mac mini software test machine. Architosh does not have a performance test method for Archicad. 

Underlying Technologies =  5 —   Archicad 27 supports both Windows and MacOS at advanced levels—meaning it leverages OS-specific technologies to optimize performance across graphics and underlying OS features. Graphisoft claims sizeable performance gains in Apple’s M3 chip and the company is the first BIM application to leverage Apple’s Vision Pro headset. Graphisoft’s BIMcloud, with its Delta Server technology, has led the industry for a decade, yet we wonder if there are ways to speed it up in the future. 

Future Proofing =  4.5 —  Its underlying technologies are particularly advantageous to leveraging future Windows on ARM mobile computers, including Microsoft Surface devices, and the company has leveraged its award-winning BIMx platform smartly across all computing paradigms, including Vision Pro. 

The post Product Review: Archicad 27 with BIMx and BIMcloud appeared first on Architosh.

The Smart Options Display technologies were a big part of our last review in version 2021, but Vectorworks has a history of persistently advancing its user interface and user experience for the betterment of its users, and this release is no exception.

New in Vectorworks Architect 2024

In this review article, we will summarize the critical feature updates, starting with those in the Fundamentals version, which is thus common to all industry vertical versions of Vectorworks 2024.

Fundamental Updates

Version 2024 is a significant release for the company, particularly in an industry where some of its BIM competitors have released smaller annual updates.

As a case in point, core new technology and features in version 2024 include a substantial user interface. However, this new UI doesn’t change the UX so much that older users will feel lost. In fact, the new horizontally located “view bar,” with a similar vibe to Microsoft’s Ribbon UI technology, aids new users coming from rival BIM platforms that feature a similar UI/UX. In the review section below, we’ll comment more on some of the new UI features.

Viewport Styles is another significant new core technology in version 2024. Vectorworks already has some of the best—if not the best—viewport technology in the industry. Why is it so great?

Viewport Styles enable multiple types of drawings from the same viewport. (click on images for a larger view)

The answer partly lies in the program’s flexibility. Vectorworks has both classes and layers, and both can control the visibility and attributes of objects, including a graphical richness with both internal and external (xref) viewports. What Viewport Styles does is enable you to save various combinations of viewport settings.

Other new core features include enhanced rendering technologies. Vectorworks 2024 has entirely left OpenGL behind and now takes advantage of each operating system’s best proprietary graphics APIs.

As such, this release adds shaded rendering shadows and camera effects, including those based on film exposure and film speed settings. Sections through buildings and objects are now rendered faster as well and use up to 75 percent less memory.

We take a deeper look at these features in detail below.

BIM Updates

The sheer amount of BIM updates in version 2024 is impressive. Major new items include brand-new 3D parametric object cabinetry tools. We spent some time testing these out and exploring their various settings.

Using what we believe is the same foundational technology, version 2024 also features completely overhauled parametric handrails and guardrails, which we also explored briefly.

Vectorworks Architect 2024 features improvements to its Wall tool, enabling, in particular, wall component returns that are highly flexible for designers and can be saved into reusable configurations. These closure settings can be named and associated with specific wall types. You can also individually apply them to openings (doors and windows) on a case-by-case basis.

The new Parametric Cabinetry tools are very thorough and flexible. (click on images for a larger view)

An interesting new BIM feature is the new graphical widget for managing door or window handedness. The “handedness” of a door, for example, refers to how the door operates and is meaningful to architects for door hardware specification. This new feature removes the need to visit modal palettes to change these settings—an example of how CEO Dr. Biplab Sarkar noted that the future of Vectorworks is one that partly aims to bring more controls for the user out of palettes and under the cursor at objects.

Version 2024 also brings materials for doors and windows and added texture controls. For walls, slabs, and roofs, experienced BIM users can now set texture attributes directly in 3D versus through class settings via pallets.

next page: Testing Vectorworks Architect 2024

The post Product Review: Vectorworks Architect 2024 appeared first on Architosh.

ENSCAPE FOR MAC SKETCHUP IS THE FIRST VERSION of the popular Enscape rendering application that runs natively on Mac computers. The German software interactive rendering tool has been mentioned and written about many times at Architosh, but this is our first product review. 

In our typical style, when we write the first review of an application, we make part of the review instructive and introductory. And we share our experiences learning and getting familiar with the application ourselves as part of our review process. 

Enscape for Mac for SketchUp runs as a plugin for Mac SketchUp users. Enscape is always a plugin—not a standalone render app—and currently, there are versions of Enscape for Archicad, Revit, Rhino, SketchUp, and Vectorworks. All of these, except SketchUp, are Windows-only versions at the moment. 

Enscape Basics

Installing the Enscape plugin for SketchUp for Mac is quite straightforward.  Once installed, you will find an Enscape tools palette and an Enscape menu under the Extensions menu in SketchUp. (see images 01 – 2)

UX Topics

The user experience of Enscape for SketchUp is thus: model like normal in SketchUp. To launch Enscape, click on the Start Enscape button at the top of the Enscape toolbar. This action launches the separate Enscape rendering viewport window. Next, move the window to the side of your SketchUp window so you can see both simultaneously. (Image 01)

Image 01 — Enscape for Mac SketchUp. SketchUp on the left and the Enscape window on the right. The Enscape toolbar is floating over the Enscape window. An Enscape menu is under the Extensions menu item in SketchUp. (click on images to make them larger, typical)

The next button on the Enscape toolbar (2nd one down from the top) is the Live Updates button. Click on this button to enable you to model in SketchUp and see those changes instantly in the Enscape window. (Image 02)

Image 02 — The Enscape toolbar is shown in SketchUp for Mac with Enscape renderer. The SketchUp window must be active for the Enscape menu to show. If you click on the Enscape window for any reason, the Enscape toolbar vanishes. Make SketchUp active again by clicking on it, and the Enscape toolbar re-appears. The buttons discussed start at the top and work down.

The third button down is the Synchronize function which means all window navigation and view changes in SketchUp get mirrored (reflected) in the Enscape window. (see image 04 and notice that the model is the same orientation in both windows). Note the shaded buttons. 

Skip the 4th button. The 5th button looks like a black circle with a plus sign and is for Enscape lights (more below). The 6th button looks like a tree, and this brings up the Asset Library (more on this later). The 7th button looks like a materials editor, a common symbol in rendering tools. We get into this in the next section. 

The 8th button is the Uploads Manager, and there you manage panos and web standalone renderings, and we will cover this under the Rendering section below. The final buttons in the toolbar are for app preferences or settings, feedback, and license and version info. (Image 02)

Navigation

Navigating your Enscape rendered model will take some practice, but it is mostly straightforward. The first thing to learn is that synchronization is your friend. In other words, rely on using your developed navigation skills in SketchUp to manipulate the Enscape window’s camera position. Rely on this until you fully master the Enscape navigation tools. 

If your model looks different or far away in the Enscape window or has vanished, click once on the Synchronization button (third button from the top, image 02). This snaps the model into the same camera view as SketchUp. 

Image 03 — How navigation works in Enscape’s window–synchronization off.

Image 04 — How navigation works in Enscape’s window–synchronization on.

Every time you launch Enscape, a How To Get Started window pops up, providing pointers on navigation, most importantly. Use the keyboard keys A, S, D, and W to move left (A), right (D), forward (W), and back (S). This same navigation works with the arrow keys. 

You can speed up these movements in the Settings for Enscape access via the gear icon in the main Enscape window. (See the movie below and image 05.)

Image 05 — Enscape Window Settings.

A left mouse click rotates the object model around the viewport; a right mouse click orbits the viewport camera around the object model. Getting good at using these will quickly position you anywhere in the model in the Enscape window. To change the time of day and hence the sunlight, add the Shift key with a right mouse click and drag right or left to move the time.

In this movie, we can experience Enscape walk-thru / fly-thru animation.

To do a fly-thru or walk-thru experience, you simultaneously use both the navigation keys and the left mouse button. See the movie inline above for an example of the fluidity of navigation possible. 

Enscape Window Icons

From the top left, the icons are Home Mode, Collaborative Annotation, BIM Mode, View Management, Video Editor, Screen Shot, Mono Panorama, and Web Standalone. (image 06 below)

Image 06 — The Enscape upper toolbar in the Enscape window.

Working from the opposite direction on the right, Help Pane, Enscape Window Settings, Visual Settings, VR, Navigation Mode, Project Mode, Safe Frame, and Minimap round out the Enscape window top buttons.  

Image 07 — Enscape’s minimap is shown in the upper left corner of the right Enscape window.

We will touch on a few key tools for now. If you create SketchUp Scenes, these automatically sync with Enscape and appear under the View Management icon (left side). You can toggle between SketchUp scenes. This is a handy feature. 

Every Enscape window has its own settings; you access them from the gear icon (right side buttons). These control the mouse speed, smoothing, and movement speed. They also determine the default camera height reference. 

I will touch on other controls below. This covers the basics, and the SketchUp user is likely anxious to understand how to address materials, lighting, and explore rendering options. 

next page: Lighting, Materials and Objects in Enscape for Mac

The post Product Review: Enscape for Mac SketchUp appeared first on Architosh.

Economics

AMD’s latest professional GPU is well-timed for a challenging economic context. After two years in pandemic survival mode, many businesses are seeing exploding demand yet struggling to find qualified talent. The net result means firms must be even smarter today about their information technology budgets as salaries and sign-on bonuses rise.

From this view, AMD’s Radeon Pro W6400 delivers a valuable option, offering the pro-market the most affordable GPU with capacity for real-time, hardware-accelerated raytracing graphics. Like its AMD RDNA 2 Architecture big siblings, the new GPU taps the excellent Radeon Pro Software for graphics management, performance tuning, recording, monitoring, and more. It also supports Viewport Boost technology to accelerate real-time raytracing in applications like Twinmotion and Revit, for example.

AMD launched its Radeon Pro W6400 with real-time raytracing at half the cost of its rival NVIDIA. The new GPU offers all the other benefits of its AMD RDNA 2 Architecture, plus a dead-silent fan and strong OpenGL performance per cost benchmarks.

With a 229 USD MSRP, the W6400 also delivers excellent performance per dollar metrics for a wide range of dominant CAD industry workflows. This is especially true for AEC users working with small to medium-sized models in SketchUp and leading BIM applications, as well as MCAD users working in average-sized models and assemblies predominantly in OpenGL viewports rendered with shaded with edges with and without anti-aliasing. (see our test results section below).

The Raytracing Value Proposition

Most AEC and MCAD users face tight deadlines and tend to optimize their software tools to allow for the fastest workflows. There is considerable pressure (and need) for knowledge about optimizing viewport responsiveness across nearly all CAD/BIM tools. That issue isn’t going away.

Now combined with that pressing demand is the reality that real-time raytracing is truly here and is transforming workflows in both AEC and MCAD. In AEC, it means that architects can loop in views of their building designs with much more realistic raytraced shadows and lighting as part of their iterative design workflow.

One of the things that impressed us with the W6400’s arrival was its packaging. It was quite enjoyable to open this up. Somebody has learned a thing or two from Apple! Click on the image for a larger view. The main specs are on the box.

The industry is also moving (though it will move slowly according to a Tech Soft 3D executive we recently spoke to) from older generation graphics engines like OpenGL to the utilization of more modern, low-level APIs like Vulkan and Metal, and DirectX 12. As CAD and BIM developers modernize their software’s graphics pipeline, real-time raytracing is beginning to factor into future workflow options.

Autodesk is working on its One Graphics system, Dassault Systèmes has Project Romulan, the Nemetschek Group in the near future will proliferate its Redshift Renderer throughout its daughter companies’ digital tools, and Tech Soft 3D has a new partnership with Chaos. From this perspective, AMD’s entry-level workstation GPU gets included (not excluded) in future innovations with rendering engines that will leverage real-time raytracing in the viewport. This should give buyers some assurance.

AMD Radeon Pro W6400

The newest AMD RDNA 2 Architecture workstation GPU is built on a 6nm process node, features 16 MB AMD Infinity Cache (L3), and 4 GB of high-performance GDDR6 memory.

Like its big sister GPUs (W6600, W6800, etc), it features hardware-accelerated raytracing, in this case via 12 Ray Accelerators. Importantly, this newest Radeon Pro GPU is also VR-ready (more on tests below) and supports AMD’s unique Viewport Boost technology useful for apps like Revit and Twinmotion. Other key details include:

• 768 Stream Processors
• PCI Express 4.0 Support for Advanced Data Transfer
• DirectX 12, OpenGL 4.6, OpenCL 2.2, Vulkan 1.2
• 4GB GDDR6 memory with 128-bit memory interface width
• 128 GB/s peak memory bandwidth
• 2 x DisplayPort 1.4
• 7680 x 4320 Max resolution
• 50 watts (Peak Power) / no connectors
• Single-Slot, Half Height, 6.6″ length (SFF capable)

The AMD Radeon Pro W6400 sustains 3.54 Peak Teraflops (FP32), compared to AMD’s Radeon Pro W6600 at 10.4 Peak Teraflops, the bigger sister GPU we do a lot of benchmark comparisons to in this article. The GPU with its 5.4 billion transistors has OS support for Windows 10, 11, and Linux.

Business Apps

Before we jump into our CAD/BIM/3D testing benchmarks, a quick note about the W6400 is in order. AMD sees this GPU as an excellent solution for SFF and entry-level workstations directed at mixed business loads, across various industries, not just those industry segments connected to the CAD markets.

AMD’s own research shows that most users who would buy this GPU prefer two 2K displays, a single 4K display, or a 4K and 2K display dual setup. Thus, AMD saved costs and provided two DisplayPorts. It can also power two 5K displays or a single 8K display. 

AMD also sees the Radeon Pro W6400 as an excellent upgrade choice for existing workstation owners using similar-sized SFF based GPUs or as a better option than NVIDIA’s similarly priced T600, a GPU that does not support real-time raytracing at the hardware level. It is also half the price of NVIDA’s newest SFF pro-GPU the RTX A2000, a graphics card that performs similarly to AMD’s W6600 we reviewed recently.

In comparison to the NVIDIA T600, the W6400 performs anywhere from 4 percent to about 63 percent faster at a range of tasks. It is particularly faster at photo editing (63 percent) and rendering and visualization (42 percent), based on AMD’s own benchmarking.

next page: Benchmarking and Performance Results

The post Product Review: AMD Radeon Pro W6400 GPU for Workstations appeared first on Architosh.

The big news about this tiny GPU is it supports NVIDIA’s hardware-accelerated real-time RTX raytracing technology. And it does so in a low-profile GPU form-factor that works ideally in SFF (small-form-factor) workstations. SFF workstations are often found in architecture and engineering practices because they take up less space.

Given our more dominant AEC focus at Architosh, the folks at NVIDIA provided us with this new RTX A2000 GPU so we could give it a good spin in both benchmarks and real-app testing. And that is precisely what we have done.

NVIDIA RTX A2000 Details

Before we jump into the results, let’s cover the basics of this Ampere generation tiny GPU. First off, the card is so tiny it almost feels cute. But don’t let this fool you. The RTX A2000 packs a very decent punch.

NVIDIA’s RTX A-series lineup for the workstation market. Lower left, the double-slot RTX A2000. Upper left: RTX A6000. Upper Right: RTX A5000, and lower right, single-slot RTX A4000. Only the A2000 can fit in tiny SFF (small form factor) workstations. (Image: NVIDIA / All rights reserved.)

The unit comes with 6GB of GDDR6 ECC memory, and there is an optional version with 12 GB. One will find 4x Mini DisplayPort connectors on the backside (see images below). Despite being small and low-profile, the RTX A2000 is a doublewide card. It can work with a low-profile bracket or a full-height bracket like ours was sent to us. It supports PCI Express-4.

RayTracing

The RTX A2000 brings NVIDIA’s workstation-class hardware-accelerated raytracing technology down to the entry-level workstation-class GPU range. In the previous workstation generation GPUs, RTX technology stopped at the Quadro RTX 4000, and everything under that was RT-free, meaning no raytracing cores.

The tiny fan on the rather tiny A2000. One issue we talk about at the end of this article is the fan noise.

The RTX A2000 delivers 8 peak TeraFlops single-precision (FP32) performance, compared to its previous generation at half that value. From our recent review on AMD’s new GPU, our readers learned that our own reference NVIDIA GPUs, the Quadro P4000, has 5.2 peak TeraFlops (FP32). We will be referencing that unit in some of our benchmarks below.

The RTX A2000 possesses ‘second-generation’ RT cores with hardware-accelerated motion blur and 2x faster raytracing. We tested the raytracing and CUDA cores using Chaos’ V-Ray-based rendering benchmark. (see charts below). In terms of cores in general here is the breakdown:

• 3328 CUDA cores
• 26 second-gen RT (raytracing) cores
• 104 third-gen Tensor Cores

Installing the RTX A2000 was straightforward. We dropped it into our 2021 year model BOXX Technologies testing workstation. The card is powered entirely through the PCI bus; the A2000 has a TDP of just 70 watts.

Performance Tests

At Architosh, we have been trying to establish a suite of “cross-platform benchmarks” and real-world app tests as much as possible. In this case, however, fewer cross-platform benchmarks were deployed. We focused a bit on proprietary CUDA and RTX technology.

The RTX A2000 features NVIDIA’s 8nm GA106 GPU, 276m2, 13.2 million transistors, manufactured by Samsung.

Our tests utilized OpenGL, OpenCL, and DirectX graphics APIs—all representative of industry-wide leading tools and workflows across multiple 3D/CAD industries. Here is a listing (in order) of our benchmarks and tests:

• SketchUp TTD FPS — an OpenGL real-world application set of timed tests using our own set of files.
• Twinmotion — we did run NVIDIA’s free FrameView tool in the background to monitor frame rates.
• CompuBench (SubDivision) — OpenCL GPU compute on SubDivision surface level-5 test.
• CompuBench (Subsurface Scattering) — OpenCL GPU compute rendering test.
• GFXBench (Tessellation) — OpenGL mode test
• GFXBench (Texture – Fill Rate) — OpenGL mode test
• VRMark (Orange Room) — a VR test to see if your GPU is ready to power VR headsets.
• V-Ray 5 Benchmark — RTX and CUDA tests were run.

This set of benchmarks and tests looks at OpenGL-based viewport performance in shaded, textured, and shadowed 3D models, GPU rendering across OpenCL, CUDA, and RTX technologies, and OpenGL-based geometry mesh generation (OpenGL 4) and texturing performance.

next page: Performance Results and Closing Recommendations

The post Product Review: NVIDIA RTX A2000 GPU for Workstations appeared first on Architosh.

In August, we received our Radeon Pro W6600 and honestly were quite excited to test this particular unit due to its unique combination of features and price-point. You see, the W6600 GPU boasts both real-time, hardware-accelerated raytracing hardware, unique Viewport Boost technology, plus a solid 8GB of GDDR6 memory, all at a very attractive price-point.

AMD’s new AMD Radeon Pro W6600 GPU is quite ideal for the AEC market and other pro markets looking for a great value in performance per dollar metrics with bonuses like hardware-accelerated raytracing and other special technologies. (click to enlarge images)

To be a bit blunt, this card is squarely aimed at the architecture side of the AEC market, but as we note later in the article, the performance of this GPU for the dollar makes it an attractive option for those leveraging value across their organizations. 

AMD RDNA 2

Typical in the industry, the newest chip microarchitecture arrives in the much larger computer game industry GPUs first. The award-winning AMD RDNA 2 Architecture has come this summer in the Radeon Pro line dedicated to professional engineering software markets like 3D, CAD, and BIM.

MORE: AMD Releases RDNA 2 Pro Graphics Technology — New Radeon Pros

These Radeon Pro W6000 series GPUs are built on an advanced 7nm manufacturing process, enabling AMD’s best performance per watt performance efficiency in the professional markets. The W6600 also features AMD Infinity Cache technology (128MB) integrated on the GPU die directly to reduce latency, plus Smart Access Memory. This feature provides AMD Ryzen 3000 and 5000 series CPUs direct access to the entire high-speed GDDR6 memory on the GPU. We tested the W6600 inside a Boxx workstation using the 11th generation Intel i7 CPU, so we could not experience that feature. Other key specs follow:

• 1792 Stream Processors
• PCI Express 4.0 x16
• DirectX 12, OpenGL 4.6, OpenCL 2.1
• 8GB GDDR6 memory with 128-bit memory interface width
• 224 GB/s memory bandwidth
• 4 x DisplayPort 1.4
• 7680 x 4320 Max resolution
• 130 watts (Peak Power) / 1-6 pin
• Single-Slot at full height required (length = 9.5″)

The Radeon Pro W6600 sustains 10.40 Peak Teraflops (FP32), compared to AMD’s new flagship Radeon Pro W6800 at 17.83 Peak Teraflops. We will be comparing this GPU to the NVIDIA Quadro P4000, at one point the world’s most powerful single slot professional graphics card. The P4000 has 5.2 Peak Teraflops. Its successor graphics card, the RTX 4000 has 7.1 Peak Teraflops. Both of those GPUs are still available and selling and for a considerable price premium over the W6600. But more on that later.

Ray-Tracing Accelerators

These are the very first Radeon Pro workstation graphics cards with real-time, hardware-accelerated raytracing rendering technology. AMD refers to their enhanced compute units for raytracing as “Ray Accelerators.” 

AMD’s RDNA2 Architecture features hardware-accelerated real-time ray tracing technology to rival NVIDIA’s RTX technology.

With interactive real-time renders like Enscape, Twinmotion, Lumion, and others democratizing the photorealistic rendering process for large swaths of architectural professionals previously not focused or trained on tools like 3ds Max, Maxwell, and V-ray, there is considerable potential in the workstation market for a GPU like the Radeon Pro W6600. 

The W6600 also features AMD Radeon Pro Viewport Boost. This technology is limited at the moment to just a few applications — including Twinmotion, which we tested on—but works to speed up FPS (frames per second) performance on large project files. 

Viewport Boost

With Viewport Boost turned on (see screenshot below), compatible applications see a massive boost in performance. AMD reports Revit, 3ds Max, and Twinmotion see up to 214 percent, 143 percent, and 139 percent speed up gains, respectively, for those three applications. Additionally, Unreal Engine 4 packaged projects are also Viewport Boost accelerated. 

AMD’s Radeon Radeon Pro Settings App. The Performance settings window where Viewport Boost technology gets turned on. Radeon Pro Settings is a full-featured application that enables users to monitor performance metrics in real-time, manage GPU settings, and record and stream content from games, for example.

What “Viewport Boost” does is adjust the viewport resolution in real-time as you move around in your scene. More significant scenes tax your system harder, slowing down ‘real-time rendered viewports’ and thus slowing down the interactiveness of apps like Twinmotion. Viewport Boosts lowers the resolution at variable rates to keep up the FPS interactivity of your work. 

We tested this feature in Twinmotion and captured data using NVIDIA’s free FrameView, a performance and power benchmarking app. This app produces a ton of data on GPU frame rates, rendered present latency (RPL), and power testing. Using FrameView, serious gamers use the 99th percentile calculations to compare minimum frame rates to average frame rates to gauge a game or application’s smooth or consistent frame rates. The closer these two numbers are, the less micro-stuttering during gameplay or when the movement in a scene is at its maximum. 

Viewport Boost is a technology aimed directly at this same interaction—quick movement of a scene while maintaining acceptable rendering resolution. The goal is an ideal balance between frame rates and rendering resolution. Not surprisingly, FrameView generated different results with Viewport Boost “on” compared to “off.” 

We had Twinmotion set up to ultra settings and the AMD Radeon Pro W6600 powered our modest scene incredibly smoothly. Our scene below with incremental (rain) weather animating and set to Ultra settings on everything, we freely navigated around the scene with pans, zooms, obits, etc.

In our Twinmotion scene, FrameView scores showed a marked improvement with Viewport Boost turned on with the average FPS rate and the 99th percentile FPS rate moving from “23.3 over 17.98 FPS” to “23.5 over 20.79 FPS” (or putting these numbers over each other, 1.29 vs. 1.13). If the average frame rate and the 99th percentile were identical (a theoretical ideal), a game or 3D software would be ideally smooth and consistent, with zero micro-stutter while moving quickly in scenes. 

Twinmotion—among the group of three pro apps compatible with AMD Radeon Pro Viewport Boost technology—is the least performative, with Revit being the most. We didn’t test with 3ds max or Revit but were quite happy to see the data and even more experience the effect of Viewport Boost while inside Twinmotion. Moreover, our Twinmotion model looked and performed its best on this Radeon Pro W6600 compared to an Apple iMac Pro with an AMD Vega Pro 56—the machine we used to build the scene two years ago. 

next page: Radeon Pro Crushes Through Benchmarks

The post Product Review: AMD Radeon Pro W6600 GPU for Workstations appeared first on Architosh.

This review will be looking specifically at Vectorworks Architect 2021 and its new and improved capabilities as an architectural CAD/BIM solution. We are particularly interested in evaluating any performance speedups due to the company’s work with Siemens Parasolid and the utilization of multi-threading. Another significant new feature that is important is interoperability with Excel, and the BIM tool now has actual “materials” versus just textures applied to objects. Adding to this, the new Structural Grid feature help maintain structural grids in all types of views.

Fundamental Improvements First

More than just a metaphor in the subheading above, “fundamental” improvements pertain to those new features core to all Vectorworks versions of the software and available in the most basic package offered in Vectorworks Fundamentals. Vectorworks Fundamentals is where some of the most interesting new features will likely excite existing users.

Chief among them is the new Smart Options Display technology. This change brings a “heads-up display” technology to the cursor area, where tool palette options are immediately available. The goal here is to reduce “mouse cursor travel” from the drawing area to the tool palettes rimming the application’s edge. These new features are controlled via a new Vectorworks preferences dialog palette. You can control whether these features are “on” or “off,” presumably so existing users can decide for themselves whether they want this kind of UI/UX adjustment to their workflow. (see image 01 below).

Image 01 – The new Smart Options Display transforms the user-experience at the user-interface level, bringing your tools to where your cursor is. Users can selectively turn these features on or off. Also, the left quadrant choice is set to “off” by default.

The first thing one must do to operationalize these powerful new UI/UX features is to change the timer setting to just 1 second or something close to that. The default setting was 10 seconds, far too long for a speedy workflow, but something longer might be desired if you prefer to trigger the feature with a center mouse button (an option). The end-user can select which types of tools to show in each of the four quadrants of the Smart Options Display feature. By default, Vectorworks doesn’t determine the upper left quadrant but chooses Tool Modes for the upper right, Standard Views for the lower right, and Previous Tools for the lower left. (see images 01 – 02)

Image 02 – Smart Options Display settings include a setting for when to show when the mouse is idle. The lowest setting is 1 second, which isn’t as low as I think some users would prefer it, especially those using Mac mice. Notice also in the view above the drop-down setting for selecting a Tool Set or General Tool options.

We think users will enjoy customizing this new feature and experimenting with it. One thing we noted right off the bat is that predominantly 2D workflow users will want to customize these tools differently than those working mostly in a 3D manner like a typical BIM user. That’s because the default lower right palette choice of Standard Views makes sense to have in the grouping, but it makes much less sense for those doing mostly 2D-based work. We also noticed the timer setting doesn’t allow less than one second. Those using Apple mice, which lacks a dedicated center mouse button, might benefit from a faster pause time. I found myself waiting twice as long as I wanted to at one second. You can also bring up the display options by hitting the space key on the keyboard.

Image 03 – A view of the new Smart Options Display settings in action. They appear as four faint icons. In this image, I selected the third quadrant (lower left), and a menu of tools appear.

Finally, it bears noting that users can also add a custom tools palette to this new feature if they have already created a custom tools palette. In fact, if they want to use nothing but custom palettes for this feature, they can make-up combinations of tools that get around the limitations of the presets mentioned above. So, as usual with Vectorworks, there is lots of flexibility in customizing this new feature. For example, I explored the use of 2D Shapes on the upper left quadrant, Tool Modes at the upper right, the Edit tools lower right, and a custom combination of 3D tools on the lower left. (see image below).

Image 04 – If users create custom tool palettes, they can add those as well to the Smart Display Options. As an example, you can mix predominantly 2D and standards tool combinations with a dedicated and custom set of 3D tools.

Another UI/UX feature in version 2021 is Quick Search. This has some bearing on the new features just explored. Vectorworks, like most mature design solutions, has a vast array of different tools. How does one find them all? Well, in version 2021, you now have a new search tool specifically devoted to finding tools. There is a keyboard shortcut (the F key) and an icon in the workspace’s upper right or through the Tools menu. (see image below).

Image 05 – The new Quick Search features enable a rapid way to find tools and menu items. The F-key acts as a keyboard shortcut to trigger Quick Search. Begin typing what you are looking for, and instantly results begin showing up.

Once the new Quick Search appears, you start typing what you are trying to find, and all matching items appear. Results can be tools or menu items, and you can toggle either or both. Clicking on a choice brings up the tool or even executes the command. This is an excellent feature for those new to the software and can also be used by experienced power users when using the keyboard shortcut to bypass mouse travel to menu items.

New multi-core processor benefits occur via an optimization to the Vectorworks Graphics Module (VGM) graphics pipeline technologies. A new preference (located under Document Preferences) enables this setting. While it will add to the file’s total size, it will speed file loading up to 5x on all actions involving visibilities, 3D Flyover tool use, and changing views. We were quite impressed with the new interaction speeds in our interactive tests using a 269 MB BIM project file.

Image 06 – Notice the Data palette is pulled out from its normal position inside the Object Info palette. Now data and spatial information can be seen at the same time, thanks to the new palette tab flexibilities.

Before we dive into the important new Excel features, we should quickly mention the new detachable palettes as a UI/UX item. The latest updates allow you to reorder the tabs within tool palettes, recombine tabs into other palettes of the same palette families, and create different docking situations, such as pulling the data tab out of the Object Info palette and parking it someplace else. Hence, the data is always visible along with the Shape tab in the same palette. Power users will significantly appreciate this flexibility. (see image 06 above)

The updates to Duplicate Array and Move by Points will be very well-received. A new live preview is provided, which is helpful for duplicate arrays, and users are no longer restrained to Top-Plan view mode to implement either Duplicate Array or Move by Points. (see movie above).

next page: New Excel Feature and BIM Improvements

The post Product Review: Vectorworks Architect 2021 appeared first on Architosh.

The last time Architosh reviewed AutoCAD for Mac was for the 2013 version. So it has been quite some time. Reviews are only a minority segment of our features here at Architosh, so we do them very selectively and we always spend actual time installing and testing the software. That is more of a rarity in the software media industry than folks realize. Let’s jump to it then.

Discussing AutoCAD at Autodesk

Folkers gave me a PowerPoint presentation of where AutoCAD has been from the very beginning. Seeing this and how it led up to the first Mac version essentially a decade ago was interesting, especially after recent comments Autodesk CEO Andrew Anagnost made about AutoCAD in another article. Folkers made the point that in the past decade alone, Autodesk has sped up by 10x in graphics performance. In other words, while the recent Revit Open Letter movement caused an uproar over the lack of performance gains and utilization of modern multicore processors with Autodesk Revit, AutoCAD itself is making fantastic strides. But the bigger story here is about how modern AutoCAD is now.

An overall view of AutoCAD for Mac 2021 user interface.

Indeed, even the user interface—and I am specifically discussing the macOS version in this case—looks and feels remarkably current and up-to-date with UI/UX state-of-the-art. The Mac version even has Gesture support, leveraging Apple’s macOS technology to add features that users have asked for. Folkers says that the issue of platform parity between the Windows version and the macOS version is “always back of mind” when thinking of features, what really drives all new features is what the end-users are asking for. In this case, what Mac users ask for they get; what Windows users ask for they get; what users ask for about the Web version, and the mobile versions, they get. I’m not saying everyone gets all their wishes met; Folkers emphasized that the AutoCAD development team’s agenda is to simply deliver the features users are most asking for.

AutoCAD Core Engine

Folkers says that once Autodesk had rewritten AutoCAD around the new AutoCAD Core Engine (ACE) which is “platform agnostic” it has been dramatically faster for Autodesk to take new features to all the various platforms. This year, the Mac version came out nearly simultaneously with the Windows version. The diffusion of AutoCAD technology is accelerating due to advancements in their underlying development technologies for targeting a rich constellation of operating systems across device types.

Autodesk’s AutoCAD Core Engine (ACE) technology has greatly modernized application development for this product line.

“We worked with the Chrome team at Google and using new technologies like WebAssembly we were able to port the AutoCAD Core Engine that powers our desktop products and make it available for our downstream web app and mobile apps,” said Folkers, who says that this particular approach to the ongoing development of AutoCAD has cut its development time by a lot. “It allows us to develop a new feature and with the flip of a switch target or not target a specific platform,” he continues. “There are some features that don’t make sense for mobile or Web and then there are others that do.”

Hidden Benefits of Subscription

Michael Folkers wanted to spend some time emphasizing some of the hidden or rarely acknowledged benefits of subscription licenses from Autodesk. For example, subscription gains business users’ admin tools that are useful for managing multiple licenses and usage. “It’s key to emphasize usage management because it helps organizations place their investment properly,” he said. A subscription also comes with comprehensive technical support, access to older versions for jobs that are ongoing for years, for internal testing at customer sites, plus other cloud features.

One such cloud feature is Design Automation. This enables CAD workflow automation where AutoCAD is running headless in the cloud and producing work. Customers also gain high-end visualization through the cloud using ray-tracing technology known as Autodesk Ray Tracer (ART), a path-tracer optimized for CPUs. This isn’t something we tested in our review specifically, but ART now features physically-based materials and better lighting from sunlight to artificial light. ART cloud rendering is supported for not just AutoCAD but also Revit, Fusion, Navisworks, and 3ds Max.

AutoCAD 2021 — General News

While the release of AutoCAD 2021 for Windows and Mac are now timed together and new feature parity is often very close, the Windows versions do tend to get a few more new features that the Mac version gets later. The features that are new first on Mac and then cross-over to Windows—if they were ever to cross over—tend to be Apple-specific technology or UI-based. For example, the dark sexy interface in AutoCAD first started on the Mac. The new Gesture support in 2021 is Apple-specific tech.

Massive files like this one are greatly sped up on the Windows version of AutoCAD 2021 due to new code optimization routines targeted at 2D primitives.

A big new feature this year on Windows but not on the Mac is Drawing History. This feature utilizes APIs from Box, Dropbox, and OneDrive that surfaces the change history. This is a powerful new feature when one sees how this technology puts it into action. Related to cloud integration, this year Autodesk also supports Google Drive. The new Purge features and Xref Compare, which we go over in detail below, now have parity between the Windows and Mac versions. However, the floating Command-Line is unique to the Mac version.

For the Windows version of AutoCAD 2021, there are some dramatic performance gains. Using new code optimizations around primitives, the CAD giant has made big strides in version 2021. On both platforms, the new Quick Measure features gained Areas in this version.

Let’s now dive into the new Mac version’s big new updates. Again, I spent about 25 hours inside AutoCAD playing around directly with these features on new files I created from scratch.

next page: Mac Version Review

The post Product Review: Autodesk AutoCAD for Mac 2021 appeared first on Architosh.

It has been since August of 2014 that we last published a review of SketchUp and in that version (SketchUp 2014) the big news was the support of Industry Foundation Classes (IFC) file format in the world’s most popular 3D modeler. Since that time a lot has taken place in the world of SketchUp. For starters, while IFC export was new in SketchUp 2014 when we reviewed it that year, somewhere along the way IFC import was also supported. (We’ll mention more notes on BIM and SketchUp toward the ends of the review).

Also new since our last review six years ago, Trimble acquired Sefaira, the popular energy analysis software that works with BIM tools and SketchUp models. These tools are now included in what is known as SketchUp Studio, Trimble’s flagship version of the software. SketchUp Pro is still the most popular version of the software used in AEC workflows, while SketchUp Free and SketchUp Shop are versions for personal use.

Ecosystem vs Modeler

We noted in our 2014 review that there really weren’t any major new modeling functionalities added to SketchUp compared to prior versions. Trimble’s development efforts over the years have largely been focused on other areas; in some regard, SketchUp as a modeler is fully matured for what the company wants in its core capabilities. In other words, the assumption is that Trimble is letting third parties tackle more advanced features in modeling powers. When I asked Hariharan Natarajan, Customer Success Manager, Trimble, if this assumption was correct he confirmed by saying that “there are lots of specialties and types of users of SketchUp and they all have unique needs.”

And in mentioning the vast ecosystem known as Extension Warehouse, he says, “So we have created a platform that SketchUp users can plug into and just self-serve,” meaning that what users get today with SketchUp is a powerful and popular 3D modeler where they can direct their attention to thousands of extensions written by third-parties to tailor SketchUp to their specific purposes.

Insofar as architects are concerned, or even AEC users at large, that subject of Ecosystem versus Modeler is one Architosh will have to in full force in another article. Our primary goal with this review is to review SketchUp Studio, which encapsulates SketchUp Pro and Sefaira and to partly introduce the reader to Sefaira’s energy and daylight analysis features.

But first, let’s review the new in SketchUp 2020.

New in SketchUp 2020

Tags Not Layers

The big new change in version 2020 of SketchUp is that layers are now renamed as “tags.” One might think that renaming something is hardly much of a change, but in truth, there is much more to this adjustment. Let’s talk about why this is.

“Layers” was always the wrong word in SketchUp. In other 3D, CAD, and BIM software programs, the use of “layers” tends to mean more than just controlling visibility. Layers tend to represent the structure, order, and the protection and visibility of objects. The way you protect, structure, and organize objects in SketchUp is through groups and components, in addition to layers, now named tags.

The improved Outliner palette dovetails with Trimble’s decision to call rename the Layers palette Tags and encourages users to use the Outliner for structuring their model by groups and components. Now it is not necessary to use hundreds of formerly called “layers” to structure your SketchUp model.

Moreover, an important new feature in Layers 2020 is the ability to control the visibility of objects by tag from the Tags control palette. Speaking of palettes, in Layout 2020, they have been updated; users now can control various aspects of viewports without affecting other viewports.

In version 2020, the formerly called Layers palette is only renamed (to Tags) and other aspects largely remain the same. Still, Trimble wants users to now organize and provide structure for their models not by having zillions of layers but by using the Tags palette in conjunction with updates to the Outliner palette.

Outliner

Outliner now features small but significant changes. A new eyeball icon enables the user to control the visibilities of groups and components in your model. In this way, Outliner works similarly to many other professional 3D modeling, rendering, and animation tools. A model in SketchUp can consist of nested groups within groups. But with the new Outliner, the user has visibility control of these hierarchies.

These “groups” and “components” in Outliner can be renamed—and it is advised that you do. By naming groups and components in Outliner, you can now tap the power of the search tool to filter for specific items in your model. A single click on the word “Group” in the Outliner should give you that field in blank-form so you can rename it.

In this image, I have isolated all things in the Outliner that match the search term “slats” including groups name as such inside of the “unnamed” group.

For example, I was able to name wood shading devices on this model “Wood Slats” and searching by slats helped me isolate these objects in the model. One thing I did discover however is that when you search (filter) by a word or name, only those groups or sub-groups with that naming match will appear. This can be detrimental in some instances. For the wood slat shading devices, I created in this modern house (see the image above and below), naming every single piece or board can be time-consuming and also disruptive to your workflow. But what if I want to show what that shading panel looks like with every other board not there? That’s where the problem comes in. If I search the Outliner for “slats” it finds all the wood slat groups in the model but doesn’t let me see into groups nested in these main groups because they are not named and thus cannot match “slats” in the search field.

Sometimes this default control is good; in this case, it is bad. It robs me of the new power of the Outliner. A simple toggle button named “View Sub-Groups” in the Outliner would let me turn off and on the ability to see what is nested inside a group without having to have an exact match in the Outliner’s search field. It is impractical to assume or to make users name every single group nested inside other groups.

And finally, speaking of naming. If I have named groups “slats” I can find them with the letters “slat.” I don’t have to have all the letters match exactly. This is another interesting control level that Trimble might put into the hands of users—exact match versus partial match.

Inside the improved Outliner, the user can not only control the visibility of each group or component but can also control such visibility of nested groups, individually adjusting visibility by sub-item. Additionally, double-clicking on a group or component name while the eyeball icon is unselected will “ghost” the objects in that group or component, including all nested objects, as seen in this image.

One final important point about Outliner. When you select a tag in the Tags palette and make it invisible (previously known as making a Layer invisible) the groups and components assigned that tag do not fully disappear in the Outliner. Instead, they show up grayed out but selectable.

Other Items and Layout

There are other minor improvements in the basic functionalities of SketchUp 2020 but these items are the biggest and most important features. Layout 2020’s big new feature is the changes to the Tag and Outliner palettes and the new visibility controls in Outliner in conjunction with how things get structured in models. Layout 2020 is also faster at viewing larger models and has numerous small improvements.

Now let’s look at Sefaira, our primary star feature set in SketchUp Studio 2020.

next page: Sefaira Tools

The post Product Review: Trimble SketchUp Studio 2020 appeared first on Architosh.

At Autodesk University 2019, back in November of 2019, Anthony and I got a peek into this version. We were so excited by what we saw that the Twinmotion 2020 review became a bit of a group effort, with Anthony—along with my husband, Kevin Cahill, an architect, visualization, and VFX Hollywood professional—all contributing to the evaluation. Anthony provided additional insight and the pros and cons section at the end. Let’s get into it!

Twinmotion 2020 Intro

Initially, Twinmotion was created by French Visualization Studio KA-RA. It was created as a way for architects with limited 3D experience to create stunning still or animated renders for clients. After a brief partnership with the French AEC software company, Abvent, Epic Games acquired Twinmotion in 2019.

Twinmotion 2020 is a real-time immersive 3D architecture visualization tool for efficiently producing high-quality images, panoramas, and standard or 360 VR videos quickly without long render times. Twinmotion combines an easy to use interface with the power of the Unreal Engine 4. It is available for both Mac and PC.

Twinmotion 2020 has many enhanced visuals due to new Unreal Engine features like a physically-based sky and sun model and more realistic vegetation.

Twinmotion is also a great stepping stone for the Unreal Engine environment, and in the future, we hope there is a direct link between Twinmotion and Unreal Engine. It should be stated that being built on one of the world’s top game engines, the exposure Twinmotion has is massive. There are over 436,000 registered users since May 2019, a comparable worth noting as Unreal Engine 4 itself has over 7.5 million downloads. Epic itself is now claiming that Twinmotion is the number one real-time rendering solution used in both architecture and production and the number one rendering solution being tested in all aspects of different creative industries. Importantly for the Architosh’s legacy audience—and this has been noted several times before—it is the only real-time rendering solution native on the Mac platform in addition to Windows, leaving Bentley’s LumenRT and the very worthy Lumion exclusive to the Windows platform.

New Features in 2020 Version

Twinmotion 2020 is based on the 4.24 release of the Unreal Engine, with new volumetric light tools and screen-space global illumination (GI). There is also a new physically-based atmospheric sun and sky model (recently just added to Unreal Engine) and cinematic depth of field (DoF). Kevin, who has been using Twinmotion in archviz production work, noted that color bleed issues from the sun seem to be better if not very much solved entirely.

An example of the Depth of Field features in Twinmotion 2020.

At at a foundation level, the UI/UX is roughly the same though there are several improvements in this area related to feature groups we will discuss in a moment. Twinmotion 2020, like all versions, seeks to deliver professional quality images using an interface that the average architect or non-visualization pro can learn quickly. Some items in the UI are hidden on purpose to simplify the workflow; the challenge for the photo-realistic rendering entrant is remembering what tools exist in the more hidden portions of the UI and learning the logic of why they are there in the first place.

Vegetation Improvements

Vegetation assets are much improved in this 2020 release, being upgraded in polycount from tree models from XfrogPlants collections and brushes from Megascans Library (acquired by Epic in 2019). The selections of vegetation are mostly excellent, a lack of southwestern plants and cacti notwithstanding. Phoenix and Los Angeles architects may get a wee bit frustrated but Epic has already heard about this feedback so we expect a redress soon.

You can now blend different grasses into a vegetation layer and edit their individual characteristics rather than re-apply vegetation adjustments with the brush tools.

Epic seems to have made two primary improvements in this department. One, the image quality is much improved (as already noted). Second, it is now easier and faster to place vegetation and in a more realistic way.

Vegetation scattering uses a brush-based system giving users the ability to paint trees, bushes, and grasses quickly. Painting layers make it possible now to add items to the layer, place them with the brush, and then go back and edit the items on the layer. You can control the growth of your vegetation by selecting the plant or group and using sliders to cycle through the age (and thus usually height, width) of your vegetation.

Trees in Twinmotion 2020 now scale by age intelligently and more realistically, not just by geometry.

New in this release, when you age your trees in particular, they don’t just scale the geometry up and down but change as the tree would actually change over time. When you add trees to a paint layer, you can add two copies of the same tree and individually select and edit its settings, like age (height) and density. You can quickly create more realistic site environs by painting this layer with a brush and then adding species variety to it and then tweaking the settings of each item in the layer to create scale and density diversity.

This also works with grass, both turf type, and wild variety. And speaking of grasses, a new setting tells Twinmotion 2020 to fade the grass as you zoom further away from it, thereby saving your processor resources. There are different distance settings for this. Grasses are processor-intensive so this greatly aids in keeping Twinmotion 2020 running smoothly.

Finally, vegetation works more realistically in animations, including when wind runs through leaves on plants and trees.

next page: Lighting, People, BIM and Other Improvements

The post Product Review: Twinmotion 2020 appeared first on Architosh.

So here we go with some of my favorites not necessarily in any order, but first:

What is Vectorworks?

Vectorworks is a product line of distinct industry and general CAD products. One of them, Vectorworks Architect, is a BIM tool for the architects and designers, while Vectorworks Landmark is a CAD and BIM tool for landscape architects. Vectorworks Spotlight is a leading and growing CAD tool for stage set and lighting designers in the entertainment industry, and Vectorworks Fundamentals is a general CAD tool for anyone. There is another premium product called Vectorworks Designer which bundles all these industry tools into one package and Vision and Braceworks are supplemental software tools for Spotlight customers, largely.

Vectorworks Architect 2019 is a stand-alone program that supports most, if not all, of an architect’s needs. It will take the architect from design concept through client presentations to final construction documents without having the need for any other programs. It is designed to be intuitive and follows the concept of what you see is what you get. It is designed to be a program that the architect himself can use without having to go back to school or hire specialized BIM designers and drafters.

What makes Vectorworks unique?

What I like about Vectorworks is that while it has an extensive array of BIM-dedicated tools for creating detailed Building Information Models (BIM) it does not limit the designer. That is, an architect can use a combination of the basic 3D modeling tools—and they are very capable—or the basic tools like walls, doors and windows and the designer can go off in any direction.

01 – An elaborate ceiling design in 3D using the flexible modeling and object tools in Vectorworks Architect. (image: John Helm / Architosh. All rights reserved)

Look at the ceiling above that I did some time ago for an interior designer. It uses many of the tools that come standard with Vectorworks without having restrictions imposed by dedicated software. This is one of the most uncommon aspects of Vectorworks Architect as a BIM tool—its unique flexibility.

3D Site Model Sculpting

I’ve never been that good at creating site models, even though Vectorworks has some great tools that make it fairly easy. So, I have often wished I could just sort of sculpt the site model rather than have to work with all those messy contour lines. Now they have made that possible.  You can create a model from contour lines or just start with a flat model. Then push and pull the model up and down as you please to shape the site that fits your design.

02 – Push and pull modeling has come to site modeling in Vectorworks 2019.

This ought to make landscape architects go nuts with pleasure and architects can easily create that mound that hides the ugly parking area. Vectorworks already has Push and Pull modeling, as every leading tool should, but now the company has brought that simplicity and engaging modeling play to landforms.

Symbols in Elevation and Sections

In Vectorworks, you can easily create an elevation or section of your model. But in the past, interior elevations were a bit messy as the sinks, toilets, cabinets, etc. would show up in full detail as would “sections” through doors and windows. That made for a cluttered drawing that was not all that legible. The way around the problem was to “explode” the section and then erase the unwanted detail. But, of course, this eliminated the automatic updating when changes were made to the model.

03 – New powerful view options for Symbols in Vectorworks 2019 will help architects immensely in sectional views in particular.

Now by selecting the amount of detail you want on each symbol, the drawing is clear, uncluttered, and best of all updates along with drawing changes. A big drawback to this is that most symbols will have to be edited in order for the various views to be simplified.

Sections and Elevations

Vectorworks uses section lines to create both sections and elevations. So, an elevation is created by making a section through the model without cutting the building as one would do making an actual section. Several improvements have been made which allow one to show or not show various features either in front of or behind the cut plane. This is controlled mostly by turning on or off various classes.

04 – Vectorworks Architects offers full control over elevations through controlling what you see both in front and behind a cut line, controlled by classes and various settings.

You could, for example, show cars parked in front of the elevation but not anything else, or show the landscaping behind the building leaving out other objects. You can also control line weight, color, line type and fill.

next page: Vectorworks Graphics Module, QR Codes, BIM and more…

The post Product Review: Vectorworks Architect 2019 appeared first on Architosh.

What is Vectorworks

Vectorworks is the BIM design tool for all designers, architects, landscape architects, stage lighting designers, or anyone who designs almost anything. It is a stand-alone program that supports all of an architect’s needs. It will take the architect from design concept through client presentations to final construction documents without needing any other programs. Historically, it has been unique in that respect, particularly concerning being an in-depth presentation/drawing package that also happens to be a deep advanced 3D modeler. It is designed to be intuitive and follows the concept of what you see is what you get (WYSIWYG). It is intended to be a program that the architect himself can use without having to go back to school or hire specialized BIM designers and drafters.

3D Modeling

How creative do you want to be? As I said above Vectorworks can take you from the concept to completion. There is no need to model schematically say, using SketchUp because you can do it right in Vectorworks. This video will give you an idea of the possibilities and also show you how the new multiple drawing views feature works:

V1 – In this video, you can see the new modeling features in Vectorworks Architect 2018. 

It is also an excellent tool for just doing block layouts that later turn into buildings or creating a simple design for a curved railing, as in the example below. Or for more sophisticated designs you can get into subdivision modeling which will allow you to create shapes without limits.

01 – Designing your own railings in Vectorworks Architect 2018 with complex modeling shapes.

Multiple Drawing Views

This is the one feature that many people have been asking about for a long time. You can have almost as many views of your project going on at the same time as your eyes and computer can stand. You just click an icon then split up the screen as you choose. Now you can watch your 3D model change as you modify the floor plan. There is no more need to switch back and forth between saved views while updating and making changes. Is your time worth anything? Really, how much time have you lost just sitting there while your computer loads up the model after you made some changes in window sizes and you want to see how it looks? I’m guessing lots.

02 – Vectorworks 2018’s new Multi-Views transforms working with models in this BIM application.

Live Editing of Elevations and Sections

Elevations and sections are fundamental to the work of an architect, and now they can be edited live. This is a great new feature. I understand that it required a considerable amount of work to implement it, and the time spent has made a significant tool much better. It is now possible to edit an elevation while actually looking at the elevation. So if you want to say line up some windows vertically, you can do it live while looking at the elevation, and the floor plan and every other instance of the windows are updated. That is much better than having to go back and forth between the floor plans and the elevation. It is another one of those features that not only save time but makes the work more pleasant. And of course, it helps pay for the upgrade in money/time saved. The only downside here is that refreshing the original viewport can take a bit of time depending on the capability of your computer and the size of your project.

Resource Manager

This is one of those things that makes Vectorworks shine. Why? Well because when working in the digital environment, it’s the things that are already drawn that makes the work go faster. The problem in the past has been keeping track of them and finding when you need them. The Resource Manager was here last year, this year it has been improved. What it does is allow easy access to thousands of pre-drawn items. They could be chairs, appliances, wall types or really anything. You can make up your own or import others. But the best part is the search feature. Search for what you need and bam they pop up. Then just click on the one you want, and you are done.

03 – The redesigned Resource Manager gets even improved in the latest release.

Title Blocks

This year they have improved the title block feature making it more inclusive and automated. But even more important is the concept. What I mean is that going back years as mentioned above, Vectorworks has been the what you see is what you get BIM program. In Vectorworks, you quickly set up your sheets the way you want them, and that is how they will print out. In the end—and for the present—no matter how much we talk about BIM, virtual building, CDE, AR/VR, animation flybys, etc. we still send printed copies of our drawings to the job site. And each one of those drawings typically has a border and a title block that gives dates, names, who is responsible and addresses. So, making that easy to do is to be expected.

05 – New automation features improve title blocks in version 2018.

next page:  Import Revit, Renderworks, OpenGL and more….

The post Product Review: Vectorworks Architect 2018 appeared first on Architosh.

Architosh’s interest in this review aligned with our interest in the upcoming new modular workstation Apple is developing for introduction in 2018. Unlike the forthcoming iMac Pro which contains an integral display, the “modular” Mac Pro Apple has promised its loyal pro users will need its own display or multiple displays. As one thinks about what that machine may become it’s time for its future customers—one of which I hope to be—to begin thinking about good monitor options. BenQ—as a monitor company—is making products that Apple’s pro users should be thinking about and consider.

01 – The BenQ 27 PD27QC Design Series monitor is meant for CAD/Animation workflows.

For this review Architosh setup the new BenQ monitor to a new Apple MacBook Pro with the Touch Bar. The BenQ PD2710QC is particularly ideal for designers and technical CAD users alike who are touting one of Apple’s latest pro laptops. Let’s take a look now to understand why this monitor is something you should be shortlisting for your future display needs, whether on Mac or PC.

The BenQ PD2710QC—Overview on its Design

The BenQ PD2710QC (which I will call the BenQ 27 for the rest of this article) sports a lovely and minimal bevel edge design. (image 01) It is a two-toned affair with a matt black finish wrapping the screen front and edge with a space gray metal finish that compliments the black surfaces. The aluminum looking material is a plastic material, it is not a metal. The build quality feels and looks excellent; there are a heft and solidness to this display without any sense of unnecessary weight.

02 – BenQ 27 out of the box in all its glory.

03 – Back of display with video port types at right and power I/O at left.

04 – The adjustable arm’s plate slots into firmly and easily.

While on the subject of how this display looks and feels it is very much warranted to note just how smooth but stable the adjustable arm mechanism is. I was surprised at how easy the display moved up and down and yet it stayed exactly where you put it. The same is true of pivoting (rotation about the horizon axis). In these two movement functions, the BenQ 27 feels as high quality as any Apple display including the iMacs themselves.

05 – Final assembly from the rear of the unit.

The BenQ 27 consists of three fundamental parts. The first part is the large flat display itself. (image 02) It is finely detailed with a ribbed vented zone that separates the space gray metal plastic back panel from the matt black-edged display itself. (see images 02 – 04). Next is the arm with a twin-grooved adjustable slots mechanism for moving the display up and down on the arm off of a pivoting radius joint. (image 05) That part too has a matching veneer zone of space gray metal plastic. There is a reveal between the two colored materials throughout this monitor that provides a most distinctive touch.

06 – The base of the unit serves as an I/O hub with USB-C as the primary simplified connection to the MacBook Pro with Touch Bar—supplying power, data, video, and I/O.

The final part is the base which houses an electronic board for all the I/O. (image 06) This base consists of a slightly sloped top which is designed to hold your laptop (see images) or park a keyboard when not in use. If you like the screen very close to you one could, theoretically, type from this position with their keyboard positioned on this plane.

next page: Connecting It To Your Computer

The post Product Review: BenQ 27-in PD2710QC Display Monitor for CAD & Animation appeared first on Architosh.

The truth is, it’s just plain hard to measure a building by yourself…there are real limitations. And problems with accuracy.

Within this context, I was deeply intrigued when I first learned about the folks at OrthoGraph, in Hungary, and have been wishing to thoroughly review their self-named iOS app.

Welcome OrthoGraph I with the Leica Disto D2

OrthoGraph I by itself would still require a handheld tape measure but it would forego the need for a pad of paper and a pen. Working this way wouldn’t solve several issues in “analog mode” building measuring but it would lessen the overall workload by enabling a process that helps you go straight to CAD and BIM from the completed survey work. Working this way you simply launch the OrthoGraph I mobile app on your iPad or Android tablet or, if you are so inclined, your smartphone.

01 – OrthoGraph I’s main menu screen looks like this. Here you control app settings, do exports of your work, acces projects/rooms, and connect to LDMs.

The ideal setup for OrthoGraph I is a tablet working with a laser distance meter (LDM) and while the software works with nearly 10 different devices the most affordable device is the Leica Disto D2, which this author purchased for the purposes of this review. Working with the D2 via the application is quite charming and effective but there can be some learning lessons to get everything working properly and I’ll cover those a bit later in the review.

Installing and Setting Up OrthoGraph I

Installing OrthoGraph I is a rather straightforward process once you access the mobile application from, in my case, the Apple App Store. Acquiring the license enables OrthoGraph I to communicate with the cloud-based services associated with this application. With the license installed the “Main menu” screen shows your account, days left in your license activation, a “Buy More / Use Code” and a upload connection button which enables the sign-in process to the OrthoGraph Cloud system. This is where you would go to log back into the system. (see image 01 above)

02 – The export options settings for DXF look like this.

03 – And exporting PDF reports looks like this.

Back to the Main menu screen, one can see options for exporting your work and the app settings. Below this is listings of your actual measuring projects. And below that will be the area where your can set up OrthoGraph I to be Bluetooth connected to a LDM. (image 01)

Clicking on the “Export” setting will lead you to a screen that looks like the image above (image 02) and includes setting options for various file formats OrthoGraph I exports out to. For image files, for example, you can choose from small to medium to extra large setting options for export output. Choosing “DXF” gives you options for exporting with a single layer or separate layer mode. “IFC” export contains no settings. “Excel” file export also does not contain options. The PDF setting (see image 03) is for exporting an OrthoGraph I report and contains the project name, date, address, and survey data and basically sets up for a report export.

04 – Setting up “units” within OrthoGraph I.

The “Settings” button takes you to a new screen that allows the user to select a language for the program. Choices include English, Hungarian, German, French, Japanese, Italian, and Spanish. The next setting option is important for most users and it is the “Used units” selection. A scroll selector offers various units and options within those units. Feet and inches down to 1/4 of an inch (1/4”) was selected for my review work. (see image 04)

Measuring Your First Room

Now that my D2 is correctly synced and connected with the app, I start by drawing my first room. I will add that it took me some time to get really good at drawing rooms with some complexity in them. One should put the focus not on the attempted accuracy in length of each side of a room but rather on the core shape, each turn or step in a room and closing the room by getting the last point in a smart position so it “closes” the room.

05 – The main screen and main Toolbar looks like this. OrthoGraph I smartly has a fan wheel type pop-up tool bar in the far right corner. It’s rather brilliant.

Yes, a common mistake first-time users make is not closing rooms when attempting complex shaped rooms. This happened often when I first started working with the app a few months ago but over time (and perhaps with even some app updates) the closing complex rooms process improved dramatically. I am sure it was probably just me learning the art of this part of the program.

So what happens when a room doesn’t close? Well…you end up with a gap, two vertices (control points) are present rather very close to each other but they are supposed to be the same point. (see image 07) When this happens, I just start over. A successful, closed room looks like the image above. (see image 06)

06 – A successfully closed room looks like this, corner points (vertices) highlighted in “yellow” circle icons for multi-touch engagement.

07 – Sometimes and sadly this happens. You fail to close a complicated shape.

It’s important to note that the room must be “highlighted” before you attempt to measure it. This being the case when you have drawn several rooms in a row. By highlighted I mean yellow vertices controls appear on the corner points.

Drawing a room starts by accessing the Toolbar “fan wheel” (image 05) that displays three levels of tools. These tools are displayed first by if they are 2D tools or 3D tools. The pencil icon is the core tool for the creation of rooms. Once selected, a “help-tip” slider window appears on the lower left side of the screen and then quietly disappears. In the case of the pencil tool it says “Draw the approximate shape of the room you are surveying.”

The actual process of doing this is simply to sketch with your finger the basic shape of the room. If you are using a stylus like the Apple Pencil, just use that. In OrthoGraph I, your freehand lines will magically harden to straight CAD-like lines with a wall-thickness. They will also display yellow concentric circle icons denoting control points (vertices) delimiting the start and end points of objects (eg: walls, doors, etc). (see images 07 and 09) I will touch on these circle icons in a moment.

08 – Measuring is a process whereby you trace with your finger the length of a wall by engaging its two control points. This invokes the numeric keypad for entering the actual dimension you have measured in the field.

The next step in measuring your room after you have sketched it out in OrthoGraph I is to input measurements. If you use a tape measure the procedure is as follows: Select the icon with a measuring ruler and two arrow-headed line above it (always on the center lower section of the screen). Next, touch a yellow circle (vertice) and keeping your finger down push it to the opposite end of the wall and into the terminating yellow circle icon (vertice). When you complete that step new icons will appear around each control point. They will be animated and in the program’s default blue color. (see image 08) The “anchor” icon means that point is fixed within the overall points making up the room. The “non-anchor” point will adjust once you input a value but it is not fixed and may move its position based on further survey data.

09 – Diagonal measurement is very useful for confirming accuracy in the measuring process.

10 – A confirmation “check” appears in a circle at a control point meaning it is confirmed.

The numerical keypad is presented below the wall—awaiting the user’s input. Type in the correct measurement value and hit the “check” button (in yellow). (see image 08) That confirms the value. The plan will automatically adjust and other points and walls may adjust with it maintaining their 90-degree corners. It is possible to measure across a room from corner to corner, which helps confirm angles. (see image 09) Arrows in yellow indicate the direction taken from the anchor point to the second point. When two dimensions to the same point are input into OrthoGraph a check box appears in a circle, confirming its position. (see image 10)

next page: Attaching Rooms and Doors

The post Product Review: OrthoGraph I—Building Survey System for AEC Pros appeared first on Architosh.

How long has it been? This may surprise you but Architosh last reviewed Strata’s software back in 2003, when Akiko Ashley, senior associate editor, reviewed Strata 3D Pro 3.8. Needless to say, there has been a lot going on with this company over the last decade and a half so a quick little history will set the table for this review well.

First Some History

Strata itself was among the first wave of 3D graphics applications that arrived on desktop Macs at the tail end of the 1980’s, with a product known as StrataVision. In the early 90’s Strata 3D Pro emerged and StrataVision became the little sister app. It would end at version 5 in 1998. By the mid-90’s Strata 3D was a household name in the 3D and CAD software space and CAD tools, like MiniCAD, often had export options to bring models into native Strata file format.

01 – Strata’s Strata 3D CX 8.1 still comes beautifully wrapped in one of the 3D industry’s best user-interfaces. It follows a classic MacDraw and classic Adobe app UI format which will be familiar to many Mac and Adobe users.

As CAD tools eventually developed their own native rendering features Strata fell out of use somewhat in the architectural rendering market but it successfully pivoted into new areas to extend growth—particularly packing design, product design, and as a 3D extension for graphics illustrators. To this last group, in particular, Strata tuned its UI and UX to feel familiar to Adobe’s legendary product line and this helped both attract graphics artists to the world of 3D but also helped in ease-of-use, which was always one of its most appealing factors.

Strata Design 3D CX 8.1 Today

For most, if not all of its life, Strata 3D has operated in the sub-thousand dollar category; Strata has never essentially competed with the tier one professional 3D studio applications, in the current era, like Maya or 3ds max, which operate and cost at much higher levels. Those applications are often judged as overkill for the types of architects, graphic designers, and environmental design professionals that need to work in 3D. Strata Design 3D CX 8.1 is just under $600.USD, and at that price packs one of the bigger punches in the industry.

When we last reviewed Strata we noted that it has long been known for its high-quality rendering. It has long had a radiosity engine of particular note and a high-quality and fast raytracer as well. And this is a good place to start.

Rendering. While Strata today still features its high-quality radiosity engine, the big news in the dot 1 release of Strata 8 (we will simplify its long name now until the end of the article) is the integration of the Embree raycasting engine developed by Intel. This engine helps identify if any ray intersects any geometry in a 3D scene and speeds the process endemic to Monte Carlo ray tracing. Embree is more technically a set of kernels that are highly optimized for Intel processors. Offering up to 800 percent speed-up on CPU-bound rendering the Embree integration is absolutely nothing to sneeze at.

02 – Strata 3D’s integration of Intel’s Embree technology leads to faster more beautiful rendering results. (image: Chris Tyler/Strata. All rights reserved.)

Rendering has come a long way over the years with Strata but this version 8.1 release in general added quite a few higher-level capabilities typically found in tier-one 3D software packages. One of those features is support for OpenEXR which offers high-precision floating-point color output. In both 8 or 16-bit color, white is always white. This is a valuable feature because humans don’t perceive light 100 percent accurately. Our eyes and brain see into darker areas with a bit more light than is actually there. Back at version 7.5, render output could be taken into Photoshop and the 2.2 gamma correction could be applied. Now you don’t need to; the new 2.2 Gamma function approximates how humans actually perceive light.

Other aspects of rendering in Strata 8 include the new 64-bit support in the app. This is clearly the most important update affecting rendering and scene capacity. You can load vastly larger scenes in version 8.1 than in the prior major release. With a scene like 10 million polygons, the app will use 8 GB of RAM. With the old 32-bit limit in Strata, users were capped at 3 GB’s of RAM. To be honest, Strata is a bit late to 64-bit support but it’s here now and longtime users (as well as new users) are bound to be thrilled.

03 – Strata’s onboard help system and help tools are practically unrivaled. Notice in the system above all the options (most have videos) and the sub-options just under Fundamentals. We are big fans of video tutorials, as longtime readers know, and Strata has very good product manuals and tutorials as well.

LiveRay is a new rendering feature aimed at allowing rapid raytracing during typical workflows where OpenGL would not suffice to show you complex texturing setups—the kind that are typical of product packaging in many cases. New anti-aliasing technology also exists in version 8.1 as well as interactive rendering image adjustment. This last feature means you can adjust the gamma, brightness, or black point during or after the rendering process. There are other smaller improvements in the domain of rendering, including better interactive lighting in OpenGL.

Modeling. In our last review of Strata, we structured the article around common core workflow areas in a 3D software package (e.g., modeling, rendering, animation). Keeping to that format, we’ll briefly touch on modeling next. For version 8, Strata didn’t really offer any new modeling features, so let’s recap what modeling features it does have since our last review was so long ago. From way back, Strata had a complete set of modeling tools—tools for splines, polygons, lathing, skinning, extruding, sweeping, metaballs, and the all important Booleans. In 2011 the company added a brand new Boolean engine and subdivision surfacing modeling enhancements (for version 7). Then in 2013 the company upgraded its modeling feature set further with items like a polymesh conversion tool and range of UV mapping enhancements.

While Strata’s modeling tools are substantial, there are other ways to get your model into Strata without literally modeling therein. Strata supports import and export of Autodesk’s DXF (but not DWG) as well as 3DS (import), OBJ (in/out), STL (in/out), Collada (in/out), and legacy support for MiniCAD (in), and Amapi (in/out). From an architectural (AEC world) standpoint, this is far too minimal. It really should support the extremely popular SketchUp file format, at least inbound, at a bare minimum, and it may want to consider Rhino as well.

Why do we say this? Well, take a look at the rendering quality in the image below. As you can see, Strata can produce stunning results for architectural environments. But these days AEC tools are already working in in 3D, a trend well documented here on Architosh.

04 – Another stunning architectural rendering by Chris Tyler, who is a Strata god. This entire scene was likely completely constructed in Strata 3D as well. (Image: Chris Tyler, All rights reserved)

When we learn of these limitations, we are sort of surprised given that Strata was one of the earliest strongest architectural rendering programs and there are still a lot of excellent work being done in AEC with this tool. A quick look at their Image Showcase proves this point. Given the superb work being done with package and product design— the true sweet spot of this application’s strength—a Rhino import feature would be fantastic given that tool is popular with industrial designers. However, Rhino users are often quite sophisticated, and there are dozens of rendering options for Rhino-driven workflows as well.

A better decision might be to support SketchUp as these days SketchUp has become the de facto modeling baseline in the architectural world. It is also very popular with “makers, ” and the invention and garage fabrication crowd would likely appreciate Strata’s texture mapping features for product graphics, decals, packaging, et cetera.

next page: Texturing, Lighting, Animation and more…

The post Product Review: Strata 3D CX 8.1 appeared first on Architosh.

As a practicing architect and longtime reviewer of Vectorworks software, this year I’ve had the chance to both use and test the latest version for several months now. Here’s my review.

Virtual Reality

I will start with virtual reality (VR), because my interest in that got the attention of the people at Vectorworks, and so they let me in on the feature as it was being developed.  We have come a long way since the days of pencil sketches and watercolor renderings. As a side note, I would say that the pencil sketch is still often the easiest and fastest way to convey an idea or develop a concept.  (Note to young architects and students, don’t throw away your pencils and think you can do it all with a computer.)

01 – The new web view and VR features in Vectorworks 2017 add great value to AEC professionals and all designers working with environments. In this view (web view mode) a client can fully explore a model environment.

However, with the use of computers we have been able for some time now to design in 3D and make detailed virtual models of our designs.  The question is how do we best show these models to clients and others who have an interest in the project? VR is taking off now, and one can travel the world and immerse oneself virtually in all sorts of environments.  In keeping with the movement, Vectorworks has now included in all their products (2017 versions) a feature they call web view and VR (virtual reality).

MORE: Samsung Gear and HTC Vive Lead VR Survey But Magic Leap?

So what does this thing do—how does it work?  Simplicity is the keyword.  You the designer can take your 3D model, your BIM, of your latest project to the level of detail you want.  Then while online click on the new export feature that sends the model to the Vectorworks Cloud.  Or you can save it locally.

02 – The same URL link that is sent to a web view participant can also be opened on a smartphone. Drop it into Google Cardboard and VR (virtual reality) mode is enabled.

03 – Here is web view on a tablet device, the kind that are very popular on the construction site. It works the same as desktop mode but with added responsiveness utilizing the device’s hardware.

After a bit of a wait, your model will pop up in your internet viewer.  Now you can explore the model in 3D.  You can send the link to a client, and by clicking on the link they can also view the model in 3D.  But here comes the fun part.  Copy the link and open it on a smartphone then click on the Virtual Reality icon. Now the image of the model will change to a stereoscopic view.  Put the phone in your Google goggles, and you are in.  That is, inside the model.  You can walk and look around all you want; you can go up and down stairs.  Of course, there are a few limitations.  It’s not going to be high definition, and there are some limits on the size of the model.  There’s a bit of a learning curve to export the model and get oriented and in the right location when you start viewing.  But really the sense of actually being in the space and being able to walk around is incredible.  I should also mention that this seems to be somewhat of a WIP (work in progress), so there are a few issues that need to be resolved in upcoming revisions.

Renderworks

Renderworks is the rendering add-on that has been an extra feature sold at extra cost until now.  This year they have made it part of the program across the entire set of Vectorworks Design Series product line.  On some level, I am surprised the company did not do this a long time ago; adding Renderworks now brings photorealistic rendering into the core offering just in time as rival 3D CAD and BIM packages are all doing that in their latest releases or already have.

04 – All versions of Vectorworks 2017 now ship with Renderworks included. This means the Cinema 4D engine is behind every version.

05 – A sample rendering by the author of a real project in Vectorworks Architect 2017.

Vectorworks can be used as a 2D only program, but that misses the point; readers at Architosh following executive interviews on this company may recall discussions about why many Vectorworks users have held up in transitioning to 3D BIM workflows. Ideally, when you design in Vectorworks you should be working in 3D.

The model of your design does not come without effort but the tools in the program make it pretty painless. The thing is that once you have the model, not being able to render it—well, it leaves a lot out. Now all users are able to render with Renderworks.

File Sharing

If you don’t know what it is—well, simply put—it is a way for more than one team member to work on the same file at the same time.  The lack of file sharing was mentioned in the past as one of the hang-ups with Vectorworks moving into bigger projects and larger practices. Their way of doing it is intuitive and does not require much of a learning curve.

Team members will just check out a layer to work on and when finished update their work to a master file. Last year I mentioned that objects could not be checked out, well now they can be, along with layers; so much for that complaint. But the really big news with file sharing is that now it can be done in the cloud, using any one of the popular apps like Dropbox for example. There is no need to set up an office VPN; just share the master file in the cloud and work from home while your fellow workers toil away in the office. You can make last minute changes in the coffee shop before your client meeting or expand your office staff in minutes by using off-site staff or joint venturing with other architects that might be in another city or even another country.

next page: BIM, BIMobject and much more

The post Product Review: Vectorworks Architect 2017 appeared first on Architosh.