ArchiCAD 20 keeps crashing on OS X Sierra

[dcerezo]

Some days it will work just fine. On others, it will crash constantly. Is anyone else experiencing this or is it just me?

[DGSketcher]

Is the crash model specific?

If you only have 4Gb RAM that is the absolute minimum for AC20.

I am running AC20 with 8Gb on Sierra without issue.

[Anonymous]

Sounds like a known issue if this is a recent install of ARCHICAD 20. I recommend updating to the latest build in order to resolve the crashes.

Below is a HelpCentre article we published which explains this issue in further detail.

http://helpcenter.graphisoft.com/technotes/operating-systems/mac-os-x-10-12-sierra/archicad-crashes-...

Kind regards,

Marcus

[dcerezo]

My iMac has 32GB of RAM. I have updated it with the latest build. I have tried to pinpoint if there was anything specific that was triggering the crash, but I can't find anything...it's completely random. Sometimes it happens when I orbit in 3d. Sometimes it happens when I select a tool, any kind. Sometimes it happens when saving. Sometimes when opening a file. Heck, sometimes it happens while I'm reading something on my desk and when I look up...bam....crash.

I'm not sure if it's an AC thing, but I thought I'd check.

Here's the most frustrating part: it never, ever, ever happens when AC is closed.

[Ralph Wessel]

dcerezo wrote:
it's completely random. Sometimes it happens when I orbit in 3d. Sometimes it happens when I select a tool, any kind. Sometimes it happens when saving. Sometimes when opening a file. Heck, sometimes it happens while I'm reading something on my desk and when I look up...bam....crash.
Here's the most frustrating part: it never, ever, ever happens when AC is closed.

This might indicate a hardware problem, e.g. RAM, VRAM or graphics card. Random crashes, especially when no activity is taking place, doesn't sound characteristic of ARCHICAD. The fact that you're only seeing problems in that context might only be due to ARCHICAD making greater use of the machine's resources.

Do you have any hardware diagnostics tools? If not, do you have an Apple Store handy? They could run some diagnostics tests for you. They might also glean clues to the cause of the failure from your log files.

[Karl Ottenstein]

dcerezo wrote:
My iMac has 32GB of RAM. ...

Please click the text link "Profile" near the top of the page to update your signature... which currently says you are running AC 12 Demo on an ancient MacBook Pro. ["ArchiCAD 12 (DEMO Version) - MacOSX 10.5.6 - MacBook Pro 2.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, 4GB Ram"]

On the question... I'm with Ralph. Sounds like a hardware issue. Any unusual 3rd party devices plugged in? Did you expand the iMac memory yourself with 3rd party memory? Gone to App Store > Updates tab and verify that you have the latest patches to Sierra?

[dcerezo]

Well, I'm trying to figure it out. So far no luck, I've tried looking at any 3rd party apps that might be causing the error, but still nothing. If I find out what's going on, I'll post an update.

Thanks!

P.S. I updated my profile, thanks Karl.

[NCornia]

Hi dcerezo,

I had a similar issue on my Mid-2012 MacBook Pro. The screen would either freeze, get distorted or go black. At first the Apple experts at he genius bar pointed to ARCHICAD as the cause since that is the tool I use most of the time and where I saw the problem most frequently. But after I re-installed a clean stock OS X and launched Chess, Apple Maps, iTunes visualizer and any other built-in OS X apps with more than average 3D visualization the problem also occurred. It ended up being a fault between the Nvidia GPU and the motherboard. Apple eventually put out a recall on mid-2012 models: https://www.apple.com/support/macbookpro-videoissues/.

It looks like the same problem may have affected a small group of Late-2012 iMacs as well: https://discussions.apple.com/thread/7116466?start=0&tstart=0 Although a hardware fault is not necessarily good news, maybe it at least helps narrow down troubleshooting for you. It seems mainly the 2012 models had these issues.

Best regards,

[dcerezo]

Hi NCornia,

The little voice inside my head told me this could be a hardware issue but I was trying to ignore it. I hope it isn't, but we shall see.

I'm not a computer hardware or software guru, but I always wonder why these things don't show up in the first few years of having the computer. Wasn't the glitch always there? For years the iMac worked fine. So troubling.

Thanks!

[Ralph Wessel]

dcerezo wrote:
I'm not a computer hardware or software guru, but I always wonder why these things don't show up in the first few years of having the computer. Wasn't the glitch always there? For years the iMac worked fine. So troubling.

If you can, arrange to take it into an Apple Store to have the problem looked at. My son took a MacBook Pro in that was randomly crashing, and they determined it was on a list of machines with a faulty graphics card – I think they replaced the whole motherboard for free. I also took a MacBook Pro with something odd happening to the screen surface, and they replaced the whole screen for free because it was on a list with a manufacturing fault giving rise to de-lamination. Apple provides good support if you take the trouble to ask for advice.