IN THIS NEXT FEATURE ON GRAPHISOFT and its annual launch event and press conference in Budapest, in which Architosh was in attendance, we concentrate on the latest technologies and solutions themselves. In our Part 1 report, we discussed the Nemetschek One Cloud platform and other Group synergies.
Opening Comments
We will begin by describing how Graphisoft hosted leading AEC industry journalists from the United States, United Kingdom, DACH region countries, and Hungary. Dr. Lachmi Khemlani, founder of AECbytes.com, and myself (Architosh.com founder and editor-in-chief) were the two writers from the United States. Importantly, Martyn Day, co-founder of AEC Magazine from the United Kingdom, was also in attendance.
On day one, we were hosted at Graphisoft HQ, where we watched the live global release of Archicad 28, BIMx, BIMcloud, and DDScad. We saw the same presentation as the rest of the world. This was followed by a live Q&A by those watching via the Internet.
Daniel Csillag, CEO of Graphisoft, was on stage during the globally broadcasted launch event press conference at Graphisoft’s headquarters. (Image: Tamas Molnar). (click on the image for a larger view.)
On day two, the entire day was devoted to one-on-one interviews with Graphisoft executives and key product management figures, followed by a live-streamed global press conference and Q&A with other media and invited individuals.
Most of the information about the latest Graphisoft features can be obtained from the company’s website. However, information not publicly shared other than through the presser or via our one-on-one interviews is below.
Archicad 28
Martin Kiss, Chief Product Officer of Graphisoft, began a presentation during the press conference by noting that the company released a public road map two years ago and that critical features since delivered—including in Archicad 28—were driven by customer feedback. At the same time, key trends are also impacting new product development, like artificial intelligence (AI).
On that last note, we had a chance to speak to Sylwester Pawluk, Senior Director, Product Management, Graphisoft, whose area of expertise is in data and who has spent considerable time in data-centric roles at companies like GE (General Electric) and Google. We hope to share some specifics from our one-on-one interview with Pawluk in a future article in this series.
So, what are the features of Archicad 28 that stood out?
In past years, Archicad often had one powerful signature feature that stole the show, but this year was different. Notably, one must recognize that BIM authoring platforms are pretty mature. So, what Graphisoft is focusing on is attending to the most critical “road map” items and preparing its solutions for the future. (We touch base on future stuff at the end.)
Graphisoft has advanced the Rhino-Grasshopper Archicad Connector in the latest Archicad 28. Notable updates include new detailed settings for beams and columns, plus a new HotLink module for GS.
This more even and balanced release boasts improvements and new features that veteran Archicad users will make great use of. For instance, for those using Rhino and Grasshopper for parametric and advanced design, the Rhino-Grasshopper Archicad Connector now supports the latest versions of McNeel’s software plus offers new support for Archicad HotLink modules. We all saw an excellent example of the HotLink module support featuring a residential neighborhood. There are also new column and beam detailed settings supported in the Rhino-GS Archicad Connector, giving architects even more formal freedom.
The new Keynoting system in Archicad 28 is likely going to be a popular new feature with users. It was specially built to meet the needs of North American architecture firms.
On a more widespread level for more common users, Archicad 28 boasts a new Keynotes feature set and newly improved Distance Guides. The latter was an experimental feature in Archicad 27, as were Design Options, which also got enhanced in this release.
The new Keynoting system will find adherents around the world but should be especially pleasing to architects in North America. The Keynote system supports a graphical key and designator, as well as a title, description, and reference number, which can be used to tie into specifications. Users can select which of these items to show in the applied keynote, with many only using the graphical key and designator, while others will apply that plus the description (possibly forgoing the title and reference number).
This image shows how Archicad 28 can put down keynote legends. The keynote system provides flexible support for what appears where, including by category grouping of keynotes in the legend, the ability to show a reference number, which can be a specification section, etc.
The nicest part about this keynoting system is its flexibility. You can put down keynote legends in several flexible ways anywhere on a layout. Moreover, the internal database for the Keynoting system can be exported to Excel, edited and worked on, and then re-applied back into Archicad. That means in the early stages of construction documents, as call-outs are generated with keynotes applied, they can point at elements, and details can be completed, even if the final information about the note comes later, including edits to reference specifications. The Keynote system also features a search bar, and data is organized by elements like walls, doors, etc.
The Keynoting system is definitely one of the more beneficial additions in Archicad 28 that users will enjoy putting to work, but there are many more updates and new features. In addition to an improved Openings Tool for handling openings in sloped roofs, a Project Migration Checker, and updated support for model exchange with Revit 2025, a majority of architects are going to enjoy the new, improved physically-based rendering in the default Maxon render engine and the new BCF 3.0 support.
Maxon’s CineRender inside Archicad 28 boasts new capabilities like a physically accurate sky dome, which can render accurate colored light.
Sister company Maxon continues to advance its widely-regarded rendering technologies, and the CineRender (Graphisoft’s name for the default renderer in Archicad) engine this year includes a new physically-based skydome that will procedurally create a sky and atmospheric light. The effect is excellent, and this is the built-in renderer for the main Archicad window.
These are just some of the new features in Archicad 28 that will have an impact on the majority of users. One final note about this release includes the new third-party integrations. These include BIMmTool for better point-cloud support.
This image shows the new BIMmTool add-on for Archicad 28 for utilizing point clouds and generating BIM models from them. BIMmTool can work with all three major point cloud scanners from Faro, Leica, and Riegl, eliminating the need to import them into E.57 format. This image shows the AutoPhotos generated and placed into a viewport.
The Germany-based BIMmTool supports integration with Archicad 28 and is included in the new subscription (Collaborate) license and for all SSA and Forward users. In countries like Switzerland, Graphisoft notes, obtaining a building permit for new construction is vastly more difficult than in other countries. Therefore, working accurately with older buildings is paramount. BIMmTool can work with all three major laser scanner companies and eliminates the need to convert to the E.57 file format. We will do a deep dive into this excellent software separately, but what is essential to understand is the streamlined workflow from point clouds to the conversion of said data into BIM models inside Archicad. An especially nice feature is the “auto-photos” that are generated by the point clouds and can be integrated into Archicad viewports.
Finally, during the product launch event, Graphisoft demonstrated the new ability to create a Bluebeam Studio Session directly from within Archicad 28. It also means there is a new bi-directional link between markups in Bluebeam and Archicad 28’s Issues Manager issues. But that is just the beginning.
BIMx
Indeed, with the announced new Nemetschek One Cloud Platform, the Nemetschek Group plans to put BIMx technology at the center of BIM model viewing. But back to Bluebeam. The goal with Bluebeam is to have deeper connections to its sister brands and their desktop BIM authoring tools, their mobile tools, and their cloud solutions.
Let’s jump past some of the future talk now and come back to it at the very end of this article. For those who do not know, BIMx is Graphisoft’s award-winning application for sharing and viewing BIM models and their data and documents on an array of platforms, from desktop, web, and mobile.
A view of the new capability to view by layers and isolate elements in a BIM model in the latest version of BIMx. This view only shows the HVAC elements. Notice the center top of this image and what it says.
In the latest release, BIMx now lets users change the color of section fills. The default orange can now become black, gray, brown, or some other color. But the biggest new useful feature is the ability to hide elements and hide them in combinations, including by layers. This means that architects can show things in the field by focusing on just MEP or structural elements. You can also invert hidden elements to view isolated elements.
BIMx is also useful for general contractors who can use it to create issues using the industry standard BCF (BIM Collaboration Format) workflow process by sending annotated 2/3D issues to Archicad’s Issue Organizer via BIMcloud. Stakeholders not using BIMcloud can share BCF-compliant issues via Apple AirDrop or email.
Finally, while we have covered this news elsewhere, the award-winning BIMx is now available inside Apple Vision Pro. The combination itself has won an award. You can learn more below and here.
BIMcloud and DDScad
BIMcloud SaaS is the ideal solution for Archicad users. It enables Teamwork functionality and is ideal for hybrid work in AEC. It supports discussions amongst team members, handles project-based permissions, and, when in the cloud (SaaS), supports different Archicad versions and advanced teamwork with the reservation assistant and intelligent project libraries.
Teamwork members can also subscribe to changes of interest and get notified in real-time in Archicad. And stakeholders can open Hyper-models in BIMx Web Viewer directly from within BIMcloud’s browser interface.
MORE: Graphisoft BIMx with Apple Vision Pro wins 2024 Best of Products Award
As for DDScad this year (version 20), there is an abundance of new features and capabilities, including new support for PV systems on roofs, among other features. The OPEN BIM mode is now the basic technology going forward. When using BIMcloud, any change to the Archicad reference model can now easily be imported, and a graphical comparison feature will highlight the changes.
At the launch event, we witnessed videos showing the new DIALux Evo Pro API for lighting system design, Polysun for PV systems, and a new function package for Busbar systems.
The Group: No Duplication of IP
During the press conference, several interesting questions were answered. One item of note is that the first stages of the One Nemetschek Cloud Platform may not be visible to the user. What it means is that the Group’s various cloud solutions through its daughter companies are more efficiently deployed through a common utilization of the hyperscalers selected for the One Nemetshek Cloud Platform. One first instance of this will be the cloud-based version of AI Visualizer, which is new with Archicad 28 but will roll out with other BIMs in the Group.
Moving to ARM actually gave Archicad close to 30 percent performance boost.
An important development philosophy going forward for the Nemetschek Group is the elimination of duplication of work (or non-duplication of IP). If a daughter company develops IP useful to other brands and that brand is planning on developing something similar or the same, they would share in IP. It also means brands may work together, and each brand, more or less, has a dedicated small team focused on AI and data that will work with the Nemetschek Group AI Innovation Hub team in Germany.
Archicad on Windows on ARM
This author asked if Graphisoft will support Archicad and other tools on Windows and ARM operating systems. Martin Kiss stated that they are committed to developing for Windows on ARM but cannot release a timetable yet. Noting that the process was much work when they moved to ARM for MacOS, he said, “In the end, we actually have lots of gains from that conversion.” That statement is consistent with the sentiment expressed about Windows on ARM by sister company Vectorworks.
This author asking if Graphisoft would be developing Archicad for the Windows on ARM operating system. (Image: Tamas Molnar).
Windows on ARM is already showing strong signs at the performance level (both absolute and performance per watt). The new ARM-based Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite is not only one of the fastest processors generally, but it boasts Apple M-series chip performance per watt type leadership and astounding multicore performance, which is ideal for Archicad. “Moving to ARM actually gave Archicad close to 30 percent performance boost,” said Martin Kiss, during the press conference noting the Mac version’s transition to Apple’s ARM-based M-series processors.
Closing Thoughts
In closing, it is worth noting that Graphisoft intends to leverage its history of innovation and industry firsts in the BIM industry. It was the first to deliver a BIM cloud and did so with its unique Delta server technology. (see: Architosh, “In-Depth: Looking at Archicad 13 with Delta Server Technology,” 1 Sep 2009). It was the first to provide a mobile BIM solution with BIMx. It was the first to leverage multicore processors in background processing and other non-rendering tasks. Finally, it was the first to put BIM inside the new computing paradigm Apple aims to define with the Vision Pro.
MORE: Graphisoft BIMx with Apple Vision Pro wins 2024 Best of Products Award
While its arch-rival Autodesk Revit leads the largest BIM-CAD market in North America, that BIM platform is presently marooned on Microsoft Windows on X86—the classical and dominant Wintel platform of the 1990s. However, the X86 chip architecture is entering a crisis state as Intel itself slides further into financial troubles. We will unpack that developing story in another article because it has far-reaching impacts on the CAD industry. Despite the variables of that story, no matter how they work out, Graphisoft is well-positioned for any possible X86 and Intel outcome.
What we see in this year’s updates is Graphisoft continuing to deliver industry firsts with its Apple Vision Pro support mixed with lots of “under the hood” types of development preparing for its future. On top of that, there has been a solid blend of road map-based new features and improvements. In the near term, that mix of technological prowess isn’t going to steal away significant market share from Revit in the lucrative United States BIM market. Still, it will keep the overall market on its toes in North America and solidly bolster its market leadership in countries like Germany and Japan.
What Graphisoft’s hopes are is that its Nemetschek Group-level AI initiatives, in combination with other Group synergies, begin to deliver new compelling arguments to win new customers—not just in North America—but worldwide.