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SOFTWAREreview<br />
Two examples of poly openings in Archicad 25<br />
design - the inclusion of a home office,<br />
for example - encouraging modular<br />
furniture to be incorporated in a design.<br />
Consequently, Graphisoft has greatly<br />
expanded its library of 3D parametric<br />
objects facilitating the creation of<br />
customisable interior designs.<br />
Similarly, MEP is now an integral part<br />
of many current designs, and<br />
Graphisoft has provided Archicad 25<br />
with the ability to automatically display<br />
MEP related information, providing a<br />
smoother MEP documentation workflow.<br />
At the other extreme, Graphisoft has<br />
had a long association with Rhino and<br />
its algorithmic design capabilities.<br />
Freeform organic 3D Models created in<br />
Rhino 6 and 7 can be used directly with<br />
Archicad 25, either by importing them<br />
into Archicad to continue design<br />
development and create<br />
documentation, or to develop them as<br />
BIM components. You can also export<br />
them back out to Rhino for further<br />
creative development.<br />
VISUALISATION<br />
Enhancing design presentations<br />
increases customer engagement with<br />
designs, and it's always a challenge to<br />
improve on what often appears to be<br />
the ultimate in rendering. Archicad 25's<br />
latest innovations in this area include<br />
the ability to display surface textures in<br />
section and elevation views, which can<br />
be overlain with pattern fills, and to add<br />
more subtlety to an artistic render using<br />
soft shadows. Mac users will find their<br />
3D rendering is significantly sped up as<br />
Apple's new graphics API, Metal, has<br />
superceded OpenGL<br />
THE NATIVE SURVEY POINT<br />
Graphisoft is renowned for the ease with<br />
which it handles the import and export<br />
of over 40 different file formats, from<br />
DWG and PDF to OpenBIM formats IFC<br />
and BCF. Support for Revit file formats<br />
up to <strong>2021</strong> is also built into the software,<br />
principally for the use of engineers using<br />
REVIT MEP software, and Revit to<br />
Archicad migration is now easy using<br />
RFA and RVT geometry exchange.<br />
Streamlining data exchange and<br />
collaboration still further, Graphisoft has<br />
introduced the Native Survey Point,<br />
which establishes a common design<br />
location that can be set in the Location<br />
Settings dialog, instead of having to rely<br />
on a GDL object, and integrated into<br />
Archicad's coordination workflows<br />
including IFC, BCF, DXF and DWG. It's<br />
an easy to edit onscreen point, with<br />
displayable coordinates, that can be<br />
scheduled and published. It can also be<br />
placed out of the way and far from<br />
origin but zoomed to when you need to<br />
locate it quickly.<br />
GRAPHISOFT FORWARD<br />
Forward is a new Software Services<br />
Agreement for Archicad users. It<br />
provides an enhanced customer<br />
support programme which, besides<br />
providing online technical support,<br />
professional training and access to the<br />
latest software releases, eradicates all<br />
of the support problems normally<br />
encountered when running a software<br />
dependent organisation.<br />
Forward includes emergency licenses,<br />
license pooling, license key insurance<br />
for replacing stolen or malfunctioning<br />
licenses, access to Graphisoft's full<br />
knowledgebase and up to 10Gb of<br />
storage space for BIMx Model Private<br />
Hosting and Sharing. You don't have to<br />
worry about keeping your software up<br />
to date as Forward will cover that for<br />
you, and you will also get access to<br />
Epic Games' Twinmotion and the Library<br />
Part Maker add-on, enabling you to<br />
virtually create any custom object.<br />
Emergency licensing was prompted by<br />
the pandemic again, as Huw Roberts.<br />
CEO of Graphisoft said: "During the<br />
early days of the pandemic, firm<br />
principals saw first-hand how crucial an<br />
emergency license of Archicad could be<br />
for their businesses. Providing a<br />
continuity of service, as we did, helped<br />
us decide to make it a permanent<br />
feature. Graphisoft Forward further<br />
proves why so many successful firms<br />
work with us."<br />
There have also been some<br />
enhancements to Graphisoft's BIMx and<br />
BIMcloud applications, which we have<br />
explored in a separate article in this<br />
issue. Archicad 25 also includes new<br />
functionality in some other areas, as<br />
well, such as the ability to do quick,<br />
graphical quality checks, leveraging its<br />
long association with Solibri, MEP<br />
labelling and structural analysis model<br />
improvements.<br />
www.graphisoft.com<br />
<strong>Jul</strong>y/<strong>Aug</strong>ust <strong>2021</strong> 23