CC2311

SOFTWAREfocus
Archicad 27 and beyond
It has been a busy year for Graphisoft, but they have rounded it off by releasing a substantial new
version of their flagship solution
We're all kids at heart, and with
Christmas fast approaching we
are full of anticipation and excited
about what lies ahead. You can't blame
Graphisoft for pandering to those instincts
then with the release of their Public
Roadmap, giving us some clues about
what lies ahead before releasing a
thoroughly tested product.
The danger, though, is that the final
delivery might be a bit underwhelming -
but that is not the case here. Archicad 27
was released at the Building Together
event in early October in Budapest, and
the final item was launched within the last
week or so. But more on that later.
It has been an active year for Graphisoft,
ramping up the output from their Budapest
HQ and delivering a whole series of videos
providing detailed tutorials for Archicad
users and case studies from Graphisoft
clients, all delivered within the overriding
theme of Building Together. They have also
ramped up their learning programme -
Graphisoft Learn - which we covered in the
last issue.
The recent release of Archicad 27 has
provided further evidence of their
commitment to enhancing the design
platform as a staple of the industry,
focusing on improving its accessibility,
functionality, and ease of use.
ARCHICAD 27
As usual, we are a bit overwhelmed with
the full range of features Archicad 27
delivers, so we have chosen to focus on
the ones we think users and readers will
find most useful. Chief amongst these
must be the new Design Options.
Previously, if you wanted to explore
different versions of your model, you had
to create different layer sets. However,
because they retained links to the model, if
they are not carefully handled when the
layers are set, they cause problems when
viewing each design option. Handling
multiple files was a hassle and hardly
worth the effort.
Now, working from the base BIM model,
you can explore parts of a project, working
with customers to explore different floor
layouts, façade elements and so on, using
the Design Options manager to create
duplicate design options and
combinations, and then using Archicad's
free-form shape and morphing tools to
create masses linked to just that option.
A second option can then be created
from the first using the same process,
duplicating model elements, adding floors,
changing room shapes, etc., and a third
Design Option and more. Using the
Design Option palette, you can switch
between each until you fin one that suits
the client's brief.
The chosen option can then be
embellished further, creating floorplans
and sectional diagrams and dragging and
dropping in additional elements. A new
folder can be created in the element
attributes palette - an additional feature
that allows variations on element attributes
to be attached to the design option -
speeding up the design process further
and making it accessible to the team
member assigned to develop the option to
completion.
Project Attribute Management ensures
that the structure follows the BIM execution
16
November/December 2023