Archicad Start Edition 2024

[Sara Pinter]

Archicad Start Edition (SE) is a professional BIM solution with critical features most smaller practices need. Read this article to learn more about its capabilities.

Table of Content

• Introduction
• Archicad Start Edition 2024 Compared to Archicad 27
• Archicad 27 new features available in Archicad Start Edition 2024
• Technical Information
• Hardware and Software Requirements
• File Compatibility
• Installing
• Uninstalling
• Licensing
• Add or Repair Archicad Start Edition 2024
• Updates for Archicad Start Edition 2024

Introduction

Archicad Start Edition 2024 was released on January 24th, 2024. Based on the technology of Archicad 27, Archicad Start Edition (SE) 2024 is a professional BIM solution with critical features most smaller practices need.

Serving as a base for the latest Archicad Start Edition, Archicad 27’s robust, well-tested engine satisfies the needs of a smaller practice. Archicad Start Edition 2024 provides the full power of Archicad 27’s BIM-based streamlined documentation workflow, allowing the project model to stay live until the very end of the design documentation phase: it helps keeping architects in the state of the creative design flow with as little disruption as possible. (To take advantage of the entire range of Archicad features and benefits, upgrade to the Full version of Archicad at any time and continue editing all your previously started projects with it.)

Archicad Start Edition 2024 is a BIM solution for smaller architectural practices that contain all the features of Archicad 27 that are critical for them but those features that have little or no importance for them are omitted.

Archicad Start Edition 2024 is not available on all markets.
To purchase Archicad Start Edition 2024, contact your Archicad reseller.

Find information about the previous versions of Start Edition in this article.

 

Archicad Start Edition 2024 Compared to Archicad 27

Modelling

Start Edition contains all the necessary tools to create a proper Building Information Model, with everything you need on the residential scale, like profiled or composite structures, priority-based junctions, the Shell tool, the Morph tool, and GDL objects.

Limitations:

• No Curtain Wall
• No Point Cloud data import and visualization
• No MEP Modeling
• No PARAM-O add-on
• No Design Checker
• No Design Options

Documentation

The complete 2D feature set of Archicad is part of the Start Edition package: model-based documentation, 2D tools, layout books, etc.  

Limitations:

All features available without limitation.

Visualization

Start Edition provides basic visualization techniques like a real-time shaded 3D environment, a simple rendering engine (the so-called basic engine), 3D Styles, and the ability to save BIMx Hyper-models.

Limitations:

• No advanced (CineRender) photorealistic rendering
• No Sketch rendering
• No AI Visualizer

Interoperability

The latest IFC, BCF, DWG, and DXF file exchange capabilities enable complete model-based and hybrid coordination workflow with consultants.

Limitations:

• No STL export
• No Rhino export/import
• No Grasshopper-Archicad
• No Solibri Connection

Collaboration

The Start Edition doesn’t contain any Teamwork feature because it’s intended for solo architects. It provides complete control of IFC Preferences and Managing Classifications in IFC Import/Export.

Limitations:

• No Teamwork
• No Hotlinked Modules
• No XRefs Limited External Drawing support
• No Collision Detection
• No Structural Analytical Model workflow
• No 3D Model Compare

Productivity Tools

The main difference between Start Edition and Full is productivity. You can do everything with the Start Edition version, but you can work faster with the Full.

Limitations:

• No Renovation
• No Publisher
• No Revision Management
• No Link element height to stories
• No Import element property data from Excel
• No JSON-Python API for Archicad
• No Energy Evaluation
• No Physical Model Check
• No Export/Import Issues via PDF markup

Perfomance

The 64-bit Archicad, with multithreading and background processing, provides a perfect software infrastructure to achieve ultimate software performance. Start Edition is configured to manage small-scale projects with rapid software reactions, but it’s not ideal for large-scale projects. 

Limitations:

Multithreading-capable algorithms use a maximum of 2 cores of the CPU.

Licensing

Start Edition is intended for solo architects, so the product supports only those relevant licensing options for such customers.

Limitations:

• No License borrowing
• No NET license type

Check the new features comparison chart below to see the exact differences between Archicad 27 Full version and Start Edition 2024.

 

Archicad 27 new features available in Archicad Start Edition 2024

Feature	Type	Included in Start Edition 2024
Design Options	Workflow	NO
Groups for Graphic Overrides	Workflow	YES
Improved tracker, with divide and multiply	Workflow	YES
Experimental feature for PBR (Physically Based Rendering)	Visualization	NO
Improvements to Schedules	Documentation	YES
FBX add-on	Add-on	YES
Attribute Management Improvements	Workflow	YES
Lines (Hierarchy and Structuring)	Workflow	YES
Fills (Hierarchy and Structuring)	Workflow	YES
Distance Guides	Modelling	NO
AI Visualizer	Visualization	NO
MEP	Open BIM	NO
Model Check Report	Open BIM	NO
RFA and RVT Geometry Exchange	Open BIM	YES

 

Technical Information

Hardware and Software Requirements

Hardware and software requirements are modified from time to time. For up-to-date information on system requirements, please follow this link: www.graphisoft.com/support/system_requirements/

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File Compatibility

File Open:

• Each Start Edition version opens the files saved by all previous versions of Start Edition.
• Start Edition does not open files saved by Full Archicad versions.
• Archicad Full versions open files saved by the corresponding Start Edition version and all earlier Start Edition versions back to Start Edition 2014.

File Save:

• Start Edition versions save files of only their own version. This means that earlier versions of Start Edition won't open the file.

File Types:

Files created in Archicad Start Edition 2024 can be saved as:

• Archicad SE 2024 Solo Project (*.pln)
• Archicad SE 2024 Project Template (*.tpl)
• Archicad SE 2024 Archive Project (*.pla)

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Installing

In the following steps, we take you through the process of installing Archicad Start Edition 2024 on a stand-alone workstation. Archicad Start Edition is available by electronic delivery or on DVD, depending on your market. For details, contact your distributor.

Electronic Delivery

Download Archicad Start Edition 2024 to your computer, then proceed with the installation.

Install from DVD

Insert the Archicad Start Edition 2024 DVD into your computer’s DVD-ROM drive. To avoid performance issues, it is recommended that you first copy the installer from the DVD to your computer and install the program from there.

Macintosh users

1) Go into the “Mac” folder.

2) Copy the Archicad-Start-2024....dmg file to your computer.

3) Double-click the dmg file.

4) In the appearing volume, double-click the ArchicadInstaller.app to start the installation wizard.

Windows users

1) Go into the “Win” folder.

2) Copy the Archicad-Start-2024....exe file to your computer.

3) Double-click the exe file to start the installation wizard.

After that, follow the detailed installation instructions to install Archicad Start Edition 2024. If you encounter any problem during installation please check this page.

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Uninstalling

Windows:

To uninstall Archicad Start Edition 2024 from Windows, it is best to use the “Programs” or “Add or Remove Programs” utility, accessible from the Control Panel.
You can also browse to your Archicad Start Edition 2024 folder and execute the uninstaller in the Uninstall.AC subfolder.

macOS:

On a Mac, navigate to the “Uninstall.AC” folder in your Archicad Start Edition 2024 folder, and select the “Uninstall.app” application.

The Uninstall Wizard will remove files which were installed by the Archicad Installation Wizard. CodeMeter and associated components are not removed.

The uninstaller will not remove any files you have created in the Archicad main folder - e.g. Archicad project files that you saved into the Archicad main folder.

For Silent uninstall check the Install Guide.

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 Licensing

When you start Archicad, the program automatically checks to see if you have a license available. If so, you are ready to work. To update, download and otherwise manage your license keys, use the License Manager Tool. The License Manager Tool is automatically installed to your computer as part of the installation of Start Edition. It is also available for download at: www.graphisoft.com/downloads/licensing/

Hardware Key

The Hardware Key (Dongle) contains your license information on a USB stick. Before you start using the latest version of Archicad Start Edition, this Hardware Key must be updated. For the update process, start the License Manager Tool (LMT) and follow the directions. See: https://help.graphisoft.com/lmt/. Now you are ready to use Start Edition 2024.

Note: After updating your license key to Archicad Start Edition 2024, you can still use all earlier Start Edition versions back to Start Edition 2014.

Software Key

The Software Key is a software-based license. Using the License Manager Tool, a software key can be downloaded from the License Pool to a local client Computer. To download a software key, start the License ManagerTool (LMT) and follow the directions. See: https://help.graphisoft.com/lmt/.

If you are using a single license and plan to work on a different computer, you should upload the software key to the License Pool, so that you can access it from a different location. (Internet connection is required.)

Demo Mode

When you start Archicad, the program automatically checks to see if you have a license available. If you don’t have a license at all, you can continue in Demo Mode. Demo Mode gives you full functionality except file saving. Use Demo mode to open, view and try out functions. The unavailable commands and menu items are disabled, and the Archicad title bar changes to: Archicad SE 2024 Demo. Your Archicad program may also be restricted to Demo mode for the following reasons:

• No key is attached to your computer
• All of your Archicad licenses are in use
• Your Hardware Key is defective
• CodeMeter service is not running

Lost or Defective License Key

In case of a lost or defective License Key, contact your local Archicad distributor.

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Add or Repair Archicad Start Edition 2024

If you already have Archicad Start Edition 2024 installed, and start the Installation Wizard, you are given two options:

1) Add will add new features to your current installation. You will see all available features in a list, and you can check features to be added to your current installation.

2) Repair will reinstall Archicad Start Edition 2024 with the features of your current installation.

• The Repair process will revert your Archicad Start Edition 2024 version to its default settings. After Repair, you must reinstall the latest Archicad Start Edition 2024 and Library updates.
• Project files you saved into the Archicad SE 2024 folder will not be deleted or overwritten by the repair process.

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Updates for Archicad Start Edition 2024

To check for available updates of your localized version of Archicad SE 2024 or Archicad SE 2024 libraries, start Archicad SE 2024 and do any of the following:

• Use Help > Check for Updates
• Open the Action Center (File > Info > Action Center) and select the Updates item to see notifications on any updates available for download.
• For automatic checking: Set the Check for Updates options in Options > Work Environment > Network and Update. You will be notified if a new library or program version matching your Archicad language version is available, which you can then download. The Check for Updates command takes you to the Graphisoft update website. If there is a new update patch available, the web page will automatically offer you the updater package that fits your current Archicad installation. You can find other downloadable materials (example files, goodies etc.) at: www.graphisoft.com/downloads/

Note: If you have an updater patch installed and use the Add/Repair function of the Archicad SE 2024 Installer, you will be prompted to re-apply the updates after the modification or repair is carried out.

Find information about the previous versions of Start Edition in this article.