Installation & update
About program installation and update, hardware, operating systems, setup, etc.

When will AC move beyond OpenGL 2.0?

Anonymous
Not applicable
Does anybody have the impression ArchiCad's graphics performance is stuck at AC16 level?

I think both the 2D and 3D clarity/precision and speed is not exactly following hardware capabilities that we currently run AC on?

Is ArchiCad really able to utilize Quadro optimized drivers?
After AC16 i am left with the impression that hardware utilization has stagnated.
We are gjetting new functions and new 3D styles, new renderers, bur no improvement of fex 2D viewport and cursor speed (which is amazing in clmparison om Revit).

I miss a "crisp" drawing cursor.
3 REPLIES 3
Laszlo Nagy
Community Admin
Community Admin
Can you explain this a bit more?
How would you know that ARCHICAD has been developed in this regard? How would/should the user experience or the graphic look of the program change in your opinion? What would be some visible signs of developments in this area?
Loving Archicad since 1995 - Find Archicad Tips at x.com/laszlonagy
AMD Ryzen9 5900X CPU, 64 GB RAM 3600 MHz, Nvidia GTX 1060 6GB, 500 GB NVMe SSD
2x28" (2560x1440), Windows 10 PRO ENG, Ac20-Ac27
Anonymous
Not applicable
I am just assuming based on experience and requirements for AC.

Try for example to clik a dotted line in ArchiCad 2D viewport. Then click ESC and see how long time it takes for the line to be deselected. It takes some milliseconds or even half a second.

A similar test is to draw a simple wall with no structure. Click the starting point and try to move the mouse pointer around. In Revit the line is drawn with super-high FPS, while in ArchiCad the fps seems to be much much slower. Revit appears to be "crisp" if that makes sense.

If you do this in Revit the selection and deselection is instant. Revit is definitley optimized for Quadro and Windows 2D and 3D graphics API's.

ArchiCad is optimized for OpenGL 2.0 according to the requirements. It was released in 2004.

I am in no way a Revit fan, on the contrary, but I'm a bit dissapointed with the 2D drawing experience in AC. I'm assuming it has to do with beeing architected towards OpenGL2.0, and the fact that the Mac Quartz engine isn't exactly geared towards newer standards and the new vulkan developer sets. Apple prefers developers to make AC for mantle?

Has the cross-platform architecture of ArchiCad left it stuck in an old, outdated hardware usage territory?
furtonb
Advisor
It would be nice to know what hardware you are working on.
The viewport in 21 is actually buttery smooth, much more than it was in 20.
odv.hu | actively using: AC25-27 INT | Rhino6-8 | macOS @ apple silicon / win10 x64