GRAPHISOFT delivers Archicad 24 — major updates to BIMx and BIMcloud

Archicad 24 is released today by GRAPHISOFT, a subsidiary of the Nemetschek Group of Germany. The latest version of Archicad introduces new integrated workflow technology that enables architects and engineers to work together much more seamlessly and transparently.

The company is also introducing a new corporate look (new branding) and the global rollout of GRAPHISOFT Learn, a BIM education learning platform.

Archicad 24

The newest version of the industry’s original BIM application continues with advancements to the AEC industry’s first and most advanced cloud-based team collaboration solution for BIM professionals. There is a specific focus on new technology that enables architects and structural engineers to work together on a shared model, eliminating model duplication and redundancy issues.

Archicad 24 is now available for download for existing and new customers.

This new process technology establishes a potential paradigm shift in the AEC industry. Archicad 24 unites architects and engineers who can now work on a shared model with brand new analytical model integration. This process eliminates the back-and-forth sharing of BIM models, removing redundant models and coordination errors from coordination processes; structurally correct models are now ready for construction directly out of Archicad 24, and architects and their engineering teams are able to deliver building designs in a shorter timeframe.

Merdeka 118

“It’s been a tremendous journey, and it’s absolutely part of our DNA. It was just proven to us how dramatically important [Archicad] is to us when we did Merdeka 118,” says Karl Fender, founding partner of Fender Katsalidis, in Melbourne, Australia, about Archicad 24’s signature project.

“The collaboration that’s required in the process between all parties involved is paramount. Architecture, engineering, construction—they should be partners in the process, collaborators. The best solutions come out of understanding each other’s needs, problems and requirements,” he adds.

Merdeka 118 by Fender Katsalidis Architects, Melbourne, Australia, will be the world’s second-tallest skyscraper once completed next year and was designed completely in Archicad. (Image: Merdeka 118 – Fender Katsalidis | fkaustralia.com. All rights reserved.).

“We teamed up with the Nemetschek Group brands RISA and SCIA to eliminate one of the AEC industry’s biggest bottlenecks—disciplines operating within their own silos,” says Akos Pfemeter, Vice President of Product Success at GRAPHISOFT. “We believe a major paradigm shift is imminent—by providing architects and engineers an integrated design environment, they can now work together as one team to create great architecture!”

New BIMcloud Tech

Archicad 24 and its updated BIMcloud technology now specifically enables architects and structural engineers to co-design the loadbearing structure of the building and to do that in part because of the new BIM Track Changes technology and workflow changes. Specifically, BIMcloud updates include:

• Smart Model Compare — compare any two BIM models, including two different versions of the same design, to view various design options and compare content from engineering and design consultants.
• Updated Issue Management — new features to support suggested design variations, supporting iterative design optionality workflows with smart model compare into smart issue lists with assignment names, prioritize tasks, create an issue log—all integrated and managed in the cloud.
• OPEN BIM workflow enhancements — new BCF 2.1 support and PDF markup features
• Directly reading and writing Revit (.rvt) files out of the box

“Teamwork made us really excited about the prospect of what BIMcloud meant for us as an organization,” says Nondas Katsalidis, Principal, Fender Katsalidis.

New BIMx Tech

BIMx the app on mobile devices and on the web, features the BIM Hyper-model and a game-like navigation experience that helps users, including inexperienced CAD/BIM users like clients, explore a virtual building project. It features real-time cut-throughs (of the BIM model), in-context measuring and project markups in the model context, and award-winning BIM model to documentation navigation features, helping all users directly understand a building and the documentation for that building as a single entity.

Powerful APIs allow BIMx to connect to third-party ecosystems to offer access to and control of external datasets managed in the context of the building information model. And finally, the BIMx 3D engine itself is fully rewritten enabling any size of building to be easily experienced on a mobile device.

Other Updates

Archicad 24 introduces new automation capabilities for documentation by introducing a higher-level programming language in Python. Architects or BIM consultants can create automation scripts in Archicad 24 and even complete command chains from outside Archicad itself.

Also new are 500 revamped materials in Archicad 24 to allow for richer and more visually appealing photorealistic renderings. There are also new items updated in the Residential library of components and new state-of-the-art modern furniture for BIM models. Finally, Archicad 24 features Twinmotion 2020 from Epic, as included for free, giving users additional rendering engine options plus real-time ray-tracing and immersive capabilities.

Two final things. Archicad 24 offers Dark Mode support on macOS—a feature of the modern Apple computer operating system that can carry over to third-party applications. And lastly, Archicad 24 introduces a brand new node-based interface for developing custom GDL content creation called Param-O. It is, at the moment, only available initially for Windows Archicad 24 users but porting it over to macOS is a mission-critical item for the months ahead.

Availability

Archicad 24 is available immediately, International, US, UK and Ireland, German, Austrian, French, Italian, and Brazilian localized packages can be downloaded from the official download site. Other customers can contact local Archicad resellers for specific language shipping dates for each of the 28 localized packages that will be available later this year.

To learn more visit here: https://www.graphisoft.com/solutions/products/archicad