Archicad 27

[Emoke Csikos]

Table of Content

• Your Best Design Option
• Design
• Enhanced Design Exploration with Design Options
• Improved Project Management – Enhancements to Attribute Management
• Tool and Workflow Improvements
• Modern GDL Editor
• Visualize
• Streamlined Visualization
• Collaborate
• Structural Workflow Enhancements
• MEP Modeler Improvements
• Open BIM Workflow Improvements
• Document
• Improved Format Options for Interactive Schedule
• New Cloud-based Software Licensing
• Get Started with Archicad 27
• Before Installing
• File Format - Open and Save Versions Archicad 17 and Up
• Download and Install
• License Types
• Archicad 27 User Guide

Your Best Design Option

On September 27, 2023, Graphisoft® released Archicad 27, the latest version of its award-winning BIM software.

A brand-new design option solution, updated visualization tools, improved project management workflows, and open, multidisciplinary design collaboration make Archicad 27 your best design option.

This article collects all the new features and improvements implemented in this version of Archicad.

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Design

Explore design options the easy way and spend less time on project management — Archicad 27 helps your team stay organized and files streamlined even as the size and complexity of projects continue to grow.

Enhanced Design Exploration with Design Options

A new, dedicated solution in Archicad 27 supports managing multiple design options in an integrated and efficient way.

• Manage constantly changing designs and switch among alternative Design Options
• Make better design decisions in significantly shorter timeframes, by evaluating and communicating design options efficiently -- for any project type and scale

Learn more: Enhanced Design Exploration with Integrated Design Options

Improved Project Management – Enhancements to Attribute Management

Improving the management of complex BIM projects is in constant focus for Graphisoft.

Attribute management processes got faster and easier due to the following new capabilities:

• Archicad 27 enables folder organization for even more attributes such as Fills and Lines.
• The usability and consistency of attribute-related interfaces was optimized to speed up attribute management.

Learn more: Improved Project Management

Tool and Workflow Improvements

Distance Guides

This experimental feature delivers a long-awaited, innovative capability. It helps users accurately place and move 3D elements on the floor plan, thereby making the whole process faster and more comfortable. Distance Guides supports the positioning of interior structures in relation to surrounding elements, by displaying the Guides during or after element placement.

Extended search capabilities

Going through long lists to find specific items is a time-consuming and inefficient process. Archicad 27 adds Search capabilities to many essential Archicad dialogs to speed this up. The new feature also makes learning Archicad easier for new users.

Graphic Override Organization

Archicad 27 adds new ways to organize Graphic Override Rules.

• Create any custom grouping for Graphic Overrides Rules - organize, sort, and easily find what you need
• Drag and drop rules among groups
• Open groups to see the rules you need, or close them to avoid clutter
• Work with new context menus with all relevant commands

Intelligent Tracker

Essential math functions are always at your fingertips in Archicad's Tracker input tool. Now the Tracker supports multiplication and division too, for streamlined input. For example, you can create and move an element copy, then place another at twice the distance. The input field has also been made wider, to show longer values more clearly.

File format - Open and save versions Archicad 17 and up

To improve the sustainability and code of Archicad, Archicad 27 has dropped support and compatibility for files older than version 17.

Learn more: Tool and Workflow Improvements

Modern GDL Editor

Whether you create your own parametric objects or develop commercial object libraries, you're going to love the new GDL Editor! Better navigation thanks to syntax highlights, shortcuts for editing commands, and last - but not least - dark mode to reduce eye strain. A long-standing wish of object library developers fulfilled!

Learn more: Modernized GDL Editor

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Visualize

Deliver high-impact visualizations quickly and easily thanks to professional out-of-the-box solutions and streamlined connections to other professional architectural visualization solutions. Use your preferred solution to work efficiently and comfortably.

Streamlined Visualization

Open Rendering Workflow

Choose your preferred visualization solution and impress your clients with high-impact images and videos. Archicad delivers versatile and flexible toolsets for professional architectural visualization through the freedom of choice to use other professional visualization solutions like Enscape, Twinmotion, Lumion, Nvidia Omniverse, 5D Render, Cinema4D, and many more.

Native Support for FBX format

Archicad now supports import and export of the industry standard FBX file format. Easily add animation and rendering to the model in third-party software - including Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) applications. You can also choose from a large set of free and commercial models to import from online libraries via the FBX format.

Streamlined Archicad - Enscape Connection

Create real-time visualizations more comfortably with the revamped Archicad - Enscape connection
even on the macOS platform.

Physically Based Rendering

Make more informed design decisions on-the-go while modeling in 3D, without creating renderings in external engines. A new, native Physically Based Rendering engine (experimental feature) in 3D views ensures more realistic visualizations while you are modeling.

Learn more: Streamlined Visualization

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Collaborate

Collaborate with design teams using Open BIM to implement flexible, intuitive, industry-leading multi-disciplinary design workflows with MEP and structural engineers.

Structural Workflow Enhancements

Streamlined Load input and edit

Archicad 27 lets you generate and place Loads much faster.

• In Archicad 26, we added automatic loads generated directly from architectural zones. Archicad 27 brings the next significant enhancement: generate loads from the non-core part of load-bearing elements.
• Until now, generating these loads required you to exchange long and tedious documents. Now, the capability is built directly into the Structural Analytical Model.

Manual adjustment of Structural Analytical Model

Archicad 27 lets structural engineers fine-tune connections through manual adjustments, as a complement to the already existing adjustment rules.

Detailed structural change list in Model Compare

Stay in the loop about the latest design changes thanks to the Model Compare tool, developed for multidisciplinary design teams with extensive change management requirements. When comparing Structural views, see a detailed list of the changed parameters.

Learn more: Structural Analytical Model Workflow Improvements

MEP Modeler Improvements

This year we are bringing a renewed MEP Modeler in terms of interface, modeling, and technology.

• The routing process is intuitive - just click in series (like Spline input) to place the Duct route, Pipe route, or Cable Carrier route.
• Transitions and junctions are generated automatically
• The route is handled as a whole, but you can edit any segment or node individually, in updated dialogs.
• New Teamwork roles and permissions for MEP engineers
• A modern API is available for enabling custom Add-ons.

Learn more: MEP Modeler Improvements

Open BIM Workflow Improvements

Graphisoft solutions support design teams in efficient multi-disciplinary collaboration.

IFC4 Certification for Architectural Import

Archicad 27 is equipped with the IFC4 file import and export certification issued by the international buildingSMART organization. This ensures consistency and efficiency in data exchange across disciplines and other solutions.

RFA and RVT Geometry Exchange with Revit 2024

The latest update of this tool allows Archicad users to import Revit 2024 files into their projects.

IFC Model Exchange with Archicad for Revit 2024

Graphisoft continues to provide an improved bi-directional data and model-based IFC collaboration solution through the IFC Model Exchange with Archicad for Revit 2024 Add-In.

Learn more: Open BIM Workflow Improvements

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Document

Focus on your designs, not the paperwork! Document accurate schedules and element lists with an enhanced visual appearance and formatting. Rest easy knowing that even last minute changes in the design will be automatically reflected in all documentation sets.

Improved Format Options for Interactive Schedule

Interactive element schedules let you extract and list the right data from your BIM project. Now, interactive schedules are enhanced with improved formatting capabilities, allowing you to deliver easier to understand reports to your clients.

Learn more: Improved format options for Interactive Schedule

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New Cloud-based Software Licensing

Graphisoft is introducing a new, cloud-based software licensing solution for Archicad, BIMx, and BIMcloud SaaS in 2023. The new licensing technology will be provided by 10Duke, a global leader in providing flexible cloud licensing tools for major software developer firms. Many of the Nemetschek group brands are already using it to protect their products. The new technology combined with a new website offers many benefits to customers, including:

• Seamless user experience: With the cloud-based software licensing, users can seamlessly access Archicad across multiple devices and platforms without the need to repeatedly log in and borrow licenses.
• Installation-free licensing: No additional licensing software and license programming installation is needed, which means zero-hassle licensing for users.
• Enhanced security: User accounts can offer enhanced security features, such as multi-factor authentication, to help protect users' personal information and data from unauthorized access or theft.
• Support of Wibu licensing: Archicad 27 will continue to work with Wibu licenses.

Cloud licenses vs. Key-based licenses: Frequently Asked Questions
Getting started with Graphisoft cloud licensing

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Get Started with Archicad 27

Before Installing

Archicad is available on both Windows and macOS. Data exchange between the two platforms is fully supported through compatible file formats and collaboration methods such as Teamwork, so they can be used even in mixed environments.

The System Requirements for our products can be found here.
A list of the certified hardware configurations tested by Graphisoft can be found here:
Certified Hardware for Archicad.

Hardware recommendations and a summary of the above-mentioned information can be found here:
Recommended Hardware

The file types processed by both Archicad and BIMcloud are listed here:
Import/Export File Formats in Archicad
This article also describes the import and export possibilities and the supported versions of the file formats created by Graphisoft products or third-party applications.

File Format - Open and Save Versions Archicad 17 and Up

Please note that, to improve the sustainability and code of Archicad, Archicad 27 has dropped support and compatibility for files older than version 17 (Archicad 27 supports files with version 17-27). Therefore, older files can no longer be opened.

To migrate older files (prior to Archicad 17), open and save the project in Archicad version 17-26. Then open the project in Archicad 27.

If you have files older than version 10, you can still convert them. Learn how here: File Converters – Graphisoft.

You can find more information about file version support in this article: Archicad file and protection compatibility - Graphisoft Community

Download and Install

Go to the Downloads page on graphisoft.com to download:

• the latest version of Archicad
• Archicad extensions: add-ons, BIM content, and libraries
• Archicad updates

Everything you need to know about Archicad installation (install, add or repair, network installation, uninstall, etc.) can be found here.

License Types

Archicad 27 can be activated using one of several license types. Read more about Archicad licenses in these articles:

Archicad license types
Cloud licenses vs. Key-based licenses: Frequently Asked Questions
Getting started with Graphisoft cloud licensing

Archicad 27 User Guide

The Archicad 27 User Guide is filled with useful information about every tool, feature, and function. Take a look!