ArchiCAD 11

Oppenheim Architecture + Design, US

Construction documents and files are derived automatically from the Virtual Building model. The element schedules and Bills of Material can be quickly generated from the intelligent components within the model and always reflect the current state of the building model. Dimensions are both automatic and associative. Automatic labelling and enhanced Detail Tools ease tedious drafting work.

The Layout Book lets you layout material from different sources with the freedom of using a variety of plotters and printers. Automatic page numbering and master pages save you time and the direct connection ensures document integrity as all changes to the Virtual Building are automatically updated on the layout.

ArchiCAD has a strong concept around teams collaborating on the same design. Aptly called ÙTeamWorkÝ the capability enables the sharing of your project with colleagues. Documents can be sent to clients and consultants in several CAD standard formats or transmitted over the Web for review and mark-up. Changes can be easily merged back into the project.

In terms of interoperability, Graphisoft has consistently been the biggest supporter of the Industry Foundation Classes (IFCs), which offer some hope of more intelligent interoperability between competitive CAD systems. IFCs try and get around the problem of swapping dumb geometry by classifying standard building elements like doors and windows and driving each CAD system to regenerate a model using the physical dimensions and added metadata but in standard formalised way.

New to 11

There are many, many enhancements to this new version, with many framed around workflow and improving ease of use. There are too many to list in this article so I have selected the highlight new features.

Details have been beefed up and Architects can now reference any view from anywhere in the program. Sections and detail drawings can be referenced not only from the floor plan but from all other cross sections as well if required.

Tew worksheet tool that allows users to easily place model Ù2DÝviews on a worksheet for easy editing. Anything added to a worksheet can be manipulated with the 2D drafting tools. And if the model updates in the meantime the updates are brought through automatically or manually. However, changes in the worksheet do not feed back to the master model. These are ideal for carrying out annotations.