Bug with ghost menu backgrounds sticking around on-screen on macOS

[Roderick_Anderson]

Hi everyone, over the past few weeks I've noticed a recurring issue on Archicad 29 (not sure if 28 is also affected, right now I'm only working on AC29 projects) on macOS. I'm on the latest version of both Archicad (29.0.2) and macOS Tahoe (26.2).

The issue is that sometimes, you will have an Archicad menu background that remains on-screen on your Archicad window, and totally impairs your ability to work. See image below as one example that happened today.

The image above shows an example of the ghost menu background that is left after the menu goes away.

This is the File menu that generated this ghost background.

 

At first, I thought this issue was totally random, and that only happened after working in Archicad for a while.  Sometimes it would not appear at all.

Today I figured out at least the situation under which this happens.

I work on a dual-monitor setup, with two 5K displays side-by-side. I will usually have Archicad on one screen, some extra palettes on part of the second screen, and then I have some extra room for maybe a browser window, our internal chat, etc.

I've identified that this ghost menu appears whenever I am doing something on a non-Archicad window on the second screen (I think this happens usually with my browser -Chrome- or my email program - I use Spark Mail), maybe due to an interruption, or maybe I'm researching something that I need for my Archicad work on Chrome, etc., and I am active on the non-Archicad window. If I come back to Archicad and simply click on the Archicad window somewhere (kind of just to make it the active screen), then all is good and nothing happens. But if I come back to Archicad, and before clicking on the window somewhere, I click directly on an Archicad menu that's where this ghost menu will appear. It does not happen every time, but that's the situation under which it does happen.

Today it happened, but I was in the middle of doing something, and kept working with this ghost partially blocking my Archicad screen, and then I repeated the behaviour (I was looking for some product specs and entering information as properties), and this time I clicked on the Options Menu (I already had the ghost of the file menu), and then I was left with two ghost menus.

If you click on any other window or program, the ghost menus go away (and the Archicad screen looks clean), but when you click back to the Archicad window, then the ghost menus return. Once they appear, the only wat to make them go away is to close Archicad entirely and reopen Archicad, then you have a clean workspace window again.

I'm pretty sure this has some relationship to macOS's new transparency look. I'll make one test later today setting the macOS window transparency to opaque and see if this makes any difference. If it does, I'll report it here too.

[AndersNilsson]

Same issue.

MacBook Pro Sequoia, Archicad 28

[Patrick M]

lets be very clear though Laszlo... this is a bug that people ON mac using certain OS may be experiencing... but it is not an issue that Mac/Apple is likely to come up with a solution to, right?
So unless everyone needs to switch to Windows and only use a single monitor, we need it reported as a bug and fixed. Since it isn't happening in other software, that I have seen, it seems ownership on a fix is in Graphisoft's lap, AFAIK.

 

[BulldogBen · Accepted solution]

Hi everyone, enthusiastic Noob here.

I've had the problem too, but I now know how to avoid it thanks to GraphiSoft Support. They also say they have a fix on the way. Here's the part of their response to me that was most helpful...

On single-monitor setups, this issue does not usually occur because the menu bar typically reflects the active application. However, on dual-monitor setups, Archicad’s menu bar may remain visible but inactive. This can be reproduced by following these steps:
 

1. Open Archicad on monitor A.
2. Switch to monitor B and open another application (for example, a PDF in Preview).
3. The Archicad menu bar on monitor A becomes grey and inactive.
4. Switch back to monitor A and click directly on one of the menus (e.g. View).

5. The empty outline of the View menu remains visible even after moving the mouse away.

This behaviour can be reproduced repeatedly by switching between monitors and clicking different menus. It affects all menus except Help.
 
As a temporary workaround, please avoid clicking on Archicad’s menu bar when it is grey and inactive. Clicking on any Archicad dialog box or window will usually make Archicad the active application again and restore the menu bar. Once Archicad is active, the menu bar can be used normally.
 
A permanent solution has been identified and is planned for inclusion in AC29.1.0-preview and AC28.3.3.

Looks like they have worked hard to reproduce it and a fix is on the way 🙏🏻 The reason it happened to me so often is I was watching a tutorial on one screen, then moving my mouse to ArchiCAD on the other and often going straight to a menu.

(I do have a nagging issue with Tool Tips stopping working which I though was related, but seems to be a separate issue)

[AndersNilsson]

Pressed like, because of the upcoming permanent solution 🙂

[Eduardo Rolon]

I marked this as a solution though it is a workaround because a fix is in the works.

Need to add that you can cause this behavior without having a second monitor if you use Enscape within AC.

[yuwal]

Moderator Edit:

This post merged from another separate post.

Hello. I’m reaching out to ask for help finding a solution while using my MacBook.

I’m using a MacBook M3 Pro connected to an external monitor, and sometimes while working I get ghosting/afterimages on the toolbar. Does anyone know how to clear it?

Right now I have to quit and restart the program every time, so I’m wondering if there’s another way.

[Glen_W]

Following the above conversation, you can't get rid of them without a reboot of Archicad. However, you can avoid it happening if you click into the main part of Archicad before clicking on a toolbar ( this is if you have been in another application) and I believe on another screen.  I hope this makes sense and if you are like me you will get it wrong from time to time

[yuwal]

I appreciate your explanation. it’s very clear.
I hope the update can be processed in the near future.
thanks.

[yimyammer]

I've had the same problem for months and nothing I try causes it to go away.

The only thing that helps me is to put it in full screen mode (credit to BulldogBen) but the minute I exit out of full screen, I see its still there. 

(I'm using a MacStudio with 2 flat screen TVs instead of monitors plus 2 iMacs one of which has a second monitor all controlled by one keyboard and mouse via universal control )

 

[Patrick M]

really hoping this is fully addressed in the upcoming hotfix/update, and not just baindaid- solution for multiple monitors on mac.. this is on a laptop, not connected to my second monitor...