Global Library Migration from Archicad 28 to Archicad 29

[JaredBanks]

In addition to sharing my Archicad 29 Work Environment, I also recorded a video discussing how to make sure your migrated files see the Archicad 29 Global Libraries rather than the Archicad 28 Global Libraries when you open them in Archicad 29. Here's the video (and link to my Archicad 29 Work Environment):

https://shoegnome.com/2025/10/07/shoegnome-work-environment-for-archicad-29/

Archicad 28 files in Archicad 29 not automatically seeing the Archicad 29 Global Libraries is going to be a surprise to a lot of people, so I want to make sure people know about the issue and how resolve it easily. If you want to skip the video linked to above, I’ll save you a few minute: rename /Applications/Graphisoft/Archicad 28/Archicad Library Packages/ to /Applications/Graphisoft/Archicad 28/Archicad Library Packages 28/ (or whatever name you want to change the Archicad 28 Library Packages folder to). Hopefully the video is worth watching because I discuss a few variations on this issue. 

[furtonb]

Hi @JaredBanks , thanks for the tip.

Two Actually three things came to my mind: if I recall properly, the modularisation of the monolithic library into library packages came from the promise that it would be version-agnostic (e.g. you wouldn't have to worry about library migration anymore). This shows a lot of advantage, and I prefer this approach. Did I get this wrong?

1) If not, why isn't the library located at the same level as Archicad installs, so all compatible versions (28+) can use the same packages?

Graphisoft

├── ...
├── Archicad 28
│   ├── Archicad Legacy Objects
│   ├── Archicad Library 28
│   ├── Archicad Library Packages
│   ├── Archicad Migration Libraries
│   ├── Archicad Migration Libraries Old
│   ├── Archicad Templates
│   └── Cineware
├── Archicad 29
├── BIMx Desktop Viewer (Apple Silicon)
└── License Manager Tool

Graphisoft

├── ...
├── Archicad 28
│   ├── Archicad Legacy Objects
│   ├── Archicad Library 28
│   ├── Archicad Migration Libraries
│   ├── Archicad Templates
│   └── Cineware
├── Archicad 29

├── Archicad Library Packages
├── BIMx Desktop Viewer (Apple Silicon)
└── License Manager Tool

2) Unless you are using BIMcloud libraries, working in a mixed system (Win/Mac) is still a pain: the same path will show up as missing if you open the same project from a different computer. I think path migration/changing should be handled across versions and systems. What about providing a relative path? Cinema 4D does this very seamlessly, if we want to look around the Nemetschek Group.

3) I saw that you also have a decent number of Archicads installed, mine looks very similar (INT and HUN versions, riddled with different builds to remain compatible with various BIMcloud instances: e.g. Archicad 29 INT b3000 is the first in a possibly longer list of AC29s).

It would be healthy not having the same library installed 10  times from a disk space perspective: a fresh AC29 shows the Library Packages folder to be 2.15GB on Windows. Multiply this over 3 versions and factor in lagging projects, a competition here and there, and 15-20GB is gone for this content alone.

[JaredBanks]

I agree with all your points. I assume GRAPHISOFT expects people to uninstall old versions of the software and just have one version on their computer at a time. As practicing architects, we know that's not feasible. I have AC26-29 USA and INT installed— and can't tell you the last time I opened 26 or 27—but as someone who supports other architects using older versions of the software, I need to have access to those older versions in case questions arise. Or if I need to test something/check if a bug is new or old.

I don't use BIMcloud regularly, so I'm not sure what a huge pain this will be for that setup. But I imagine big if everything isn't migrated and the old libraries removed. A relative path would be very nice.

As to the library living outside the install of the version, that'll probably never happen because the libraries, while version agnostic, aren't backwards compatible. So the agnosticism just helps users with forward not backwards migration. I have yet to test saving AC29 to AC28 to see how well that works with the library packs. The forward compatibility is very nice. Migrating from 28 to 29 has been a breeze (thanks to the above video's workaround).

[Barry Kelly]

29 libraries will work in 28, so long as the objects don't contain any version specific new commands.

An object created in 29 will work just fine in 28 - I have tested this.

If an object does need to be migrated forward or backward, it should be controlled automatically within the libraries and we will not have to load migration libraries as we did before.

The 29 libraries will load automatically if you open a job using the 28 libraries, if the 28 libraries are not available on your system, as was mentioned here.

If you do still have the 28 libraries on your system (in the file path that the job expects) then they will load and not the 29 libraries.

I believe this is being looked at, so we will have the option to load the 29 libraries instead.

If the swap can be made automatically when the 28 libraries are not available, then I hope it won't be too hard to give us the option to swap if both versions are available.

It is all based on the file path that the libraries are stored in.

I assume (I have not tried), that if you move the libraries out of the Archicad program folder to a generic location on your local hard drive, then that will become the known path of the loaded libraries.

Then no matter what version you open, Archicad will find them, so long as the file was linked to those libraries.

But if you then open that file on another machine, it won't find the libraries, unless they happen to also be saved in the same location on that machine.

So opening files on different machines, you may still have to re-link the libraries.

And if you do move the libraries, then the updates may become an issue, as I assume they will look for libraries in the program folders.

I am not sure how libraries in BIMCloud work as I don't use it.

Barry.

[JaredBanks]

Great info Barry, as always. Thanks.

[ammacdon]

Re: relative paths

This would be a welcome addition (something we mentioned to our AC reseller a few times the last decade):

• AC allows for relative paths when placing external drawings and this works well
• But for some reason, not for publisher & library paths? This is painful when users have network drives mounted in different places on their laptops, which requires constant resetting of settings
• AC automatically expanding and not storing the home path as "~" is also a source of frustration

However, storing library files next to the application folders seems to work for us; e.g. on Mac OSX:

/Applications/Graphisoft

├── Archicad 27
├── Archicad 28
│   ├── Archicad Legacy Objects (symlink to library below)
│   ├── Archicad Library 28 (symlink to library below)
│   ├── Archicad Migration Libraries (symlink to library below)
│   ├── Archicad Templates
│   └── Cineware
├── Archicad 29

├── Archicad Libraries

│   ├── …
│   ├── Archicad Legacy Objects
│   ├── Archicad Library 27
│   ├── Archicad Library 28
│   ├── Archicad Migration Libraries

│   └── Archicad Library Packages
├── BIMx Desktop Viewer (Apple Silicon)
└── License Manager Tool

[Lingwisyer]

That would require setting up Symbolic Links each time you install the program. Not sure how easy it is to create them on MacOS, but on Windows it requires some knowledge into CMD shell commands. I think someone mentioned that GS is looking into having the Library Packages external to the program installation folder.

Ling.