Graphisoft Releases Archicad 25 Aimed at Creating Great Architecture

This week Hungarian-based Graphisoft held their Graphisoft Global Press Briefing, with CEO Huw Roberts introducing the next generation of solutions and services, basically what’s new in Archicad, BIMcloud, and BIMx.

Moderator Edit Inotai introduced Roberts and announced that coming up in September 14-16, 2021 is the company’s Building Together Digital conference.

Each year Graphisoft chooses a signature building to showcase the work done with their products and services. This year’s building is the Duke Ellington School for the Arts, in Washington, D.C., designed using Archicad.

“This year is a special one for the company, as Archicad 25 celebrates a silver anniversary of sorts, facing challenges of the world head on,” said Roberts. “it is the most user driven version to date. Architecture protects us from the elements, and inspires us. Architecture is creation, to create is to design, visualize, design, collaborate and deliver it all with iterations along the way. We are empowering teams to create great architecture. This is done with our industry know-how, and most importantly through our strong relationship with our partners and organizations.”

Roberts gave a quick update of the business. With the personal and professional challenges pandemic has caused, they do their best to safeguard employees, partners and users, were quick to maintain continuity, free access to their software to shift from office to working at home.

“Despite these enormous challenges we’ve face together our business is thriving,” said Roberts. “Our products are offered in 28 localized languages, over 100 countries –  in Latin America, Russia, and Singapore seen double digit growth. Our core markets, the U.S., UK, and Japan, are far above our year to end plans. 2020 was our best year ever with strong growth. We have high expectations for 2021 and beyond. An even more important result for us is the value we create through award winning services and solutions.”

The company began in March, 1984 with a focus on great design. Architects around the world lead to enhancements and improvements. Archicad 25 embraces this vision of better design, visualization, and collaboration. Architects, engineers and construction professionals will benefit from robust improvements to BIM while enjoying greater design freedom. Users can express their design ideas using 2D and 3D design, realistic visualization and rendering capabilities to create compelling projects and win projects.

With enhanced usability, navigation and accurate quantity take-offs, Archicad empowers architects to focus on their designs, working in a single software from concept through to construction documents – features like stair tool enhancements, new furnishing tools, key enhancements to documentation, more precise quantity and cost estimations and new labeling options for Zones and MEP elements that will heighten project efficiency and add faster decision making.

In the area of design, Archicad 25 offers greater freedom with

• Faster modeling workflows and greater consistency thanks to unified navigation commands between 2D and 3D views.
• Precise quantity estimates thanks to custom-shaped openings using plain polygons in a familiar 2D or 3D environment.
• Create custom stairs easily with the stair tool enhancement while complying with local standards.
• An expanding library of 3D parametric Objects follows the latest trends in residential and commercial design.
• Import and export Rhino 6 and Rhino 7 to leverage the power of the industry-leading free-form organic design tools, geometry exchange functionality.
• Save time and eliminate errors in roundtrips with the Archicad-Solibri connection add-on, free for all users.

“BIMx is most popular architecture presentation and coordination app for Windows, Mac, and web and mobile devices, #1 for iOS and Android platforms, provides immersive presentations to clients, and bridges the gap between the design studio and the client’s office, construction site or wherever, with fast, specific feedback from anywhere, with BIMx models,” said Roberts. “Feedback for the whole project team is shared through a cloud-based hosting service, just a web link and a browser, and collaborate with BIMx hyper models, a game-like navigation tool that helps even non-professionals easily explore the building models and understand project deliverables. This is the best onsite BIM companion for architects. Through any browser, with the security of BIMcloud, our next gen BIMx 3D engine, you can use BIMx for projects without size limitations.”

BIMcloud is quickly scaling as the leading real time cloud-based collaboration platform, more than 100 files per instance, noted Roberts. “Teams can host all their project files in one service. You can license transfer SasS while delivering projects in joint ventures without hidden costs, with an ID that can access across the cloud network and users can bring their own licenses. Architects, engineers and constructors can form teams and work on projects together.”

Graphisoft has been known for its close and supportive relationship with users of their software, committed to helping them get the most out of their investment. Core software upgrades and technical support from partners, add additional value locally in some cases.

“The next generation of software program Graphisoft Forward, offers great new benefits for users now and to come,” said Roberts. “Graphisoft Forward signifies efficiency, maximizes value and productivity through exclusive training and pricing advantage for software ownerships, users will benefit from latest innovations and capabilities, get early access to downloads and free product updates, and get innovations as they become available.  Real world demand is running architectural firms today. An example is that an emergency license of Archicad was needed during the early days of the pandemic by an architectural firm. From thereon, Graphisoft made Graphisoft Forward a regular feature.”

The international, US, UK and Ireland, German, Austrian, French, Italian, and Brazilian localized packages of Graphisoft Forward are available on the official download site.

Archicad 25’s signature building is a reflection of the times we’re living in, said Roberts.  The Duke Ellington School for the Arts is a compelling form and using innovative materials. The architects turned an aging historic landmark into a top tier performing arts school, already enriching the lives of its occupants. Cox graae + spack architects recognize it’s critical to utilize innovative technologies to enhance the ability to communicate seamlessly with clients, consultants and project builders as well as the subcontractor and fabricator communities.

Derek Banocy, AIA, Associate Principal said. “From IFC file exchange for consultant coordination to 3D design of complex geometries, Archicad was essential to the entire team to deliver the Duke Ellington School of the Arts. It would have been impossible to visualize, design and construct this innovative design without the collaborative team process ingrained in our office culture.”

For those who didn’t typically have access to the arts, creating the right environment for kids to flourish was the goal of the Duke Ellington School for the Arts. The Duke Ellington School for the Arts has always had a $100 million program, but just didn’t have a building that matched. “The first video they showed us sold us, how to make the building work for students and feel like it was home,” said Banocy. “Without the 3D modeling it was the easiest way to get to a 2D outcome. This is a tool that allows us to bridge each of our roles and tasks. See what the clearances were, see parts that had to fit in, with structural steel, etc. The structural engineer and myself used the model to create a fabrication model. They can’t walk into any space and not see something that didn’t take a lot of work to get together. There’s something in this building that helps us push forward.”

In past years, Graphisoft has held an annual event, and like many technology companies, transformed their annual event into a digital event last year. That new digital tradition will continue this year with September’s Building Together Digital Event, that will attract a global audience as did the 2020 event. Roberts noted that at the conference, attendees will hear about critical themes in the industry, from integrated design to building lifecycle intelligence, the future of cities, the challenges of cultural heritage preservation. Many leading experts from around the world will offer keynotes, roundtables, panels and Ted Talk type presentations.

Tags: 3D, AEC, architects, architecture, BIM, building design, building information modeling, Cloud, collaboration, covid-19, engineering, facilities management, generative design, Graphisoft, infrastructure, laser scanning, visualization

Categories: 2D, 3D, 3D printing, AEC, AEC training, AECCafe, apps, Archicad, architecture, BIM, building information modeling, collaboration, construction, construction project management, engineering, file sharing, infrastructure, point clouds, project management, simulation, site planning, sustainable design, virtual reality, visualization

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