Updated June 5, 2023
Introduction to ArchiCAD
It is architectural design-oriented software compatible with Mac and Windows operating systems and developed by Graphisoft, a Hungarian company. During engineering and aesthetics design processes, ArchiCAD offers computer-aided design solutions for the different components and aspects of designing the environment of items or objects of architecture.
It was designed especially for BIM (Building Information Modeling) and CAD. You can have it from its official website that is www.graphisoft.com. The first release of this software was developed in 1982 and was only compatible with Mac. After passes of time, it was considered the first CAD software for personal computers, which can create 2D and 3D geometrical designs, and is also considered the first commercial product of BIM for personal computers.
How does ArchiCAD Work?
- It works with parametric objects, which means it allows users to work with a parameter of objects, and users call these objects smart objects. This software differs from other CAD software, which was developed at the same time in the 1980s due to its technique.
- It can design virtual buildings with virtual components such as slabs, walls, doors, roofs, and many other objects involved in architectural structures. You can find several pre-designed objects in this software which makes your work easy in this software.
- If you talk about what is ArchiCAD’s role in 2-dimensional and 3-dimensional design? Then we will say yes, it has a vital role in 2D and 3D designing, and it can also create 2D and 3D designs with some of its exciting features, and you can always export 2D design of it any time.
- This software’s database will store the three-dimensional model of that two-dimensional design for your future use. Changes made by you in your design will update every time in it.
Why do we Need ArchiCAD?
- As we know, the designers developed this software specifically for architectural design in 1982 and later introduced it in 1984 for BIM design. It gives detailed information about modeling different types of buildings or architectural structures through the design process. Hence, it has now a good impact on architectural design industries.
- In 36 years of fully dedicated work in the architectural design field, it developed many designing techniques for two decisional designs and three-dimensional models with lots of good features.
- So we should try this software to know its workings environment.
Advantages and Disadvantages of ArchiCAD
Although this is very helpful software in the architectural design field for architects, we have to analyze both its pros and cons.
So let us also see this for enhancing our knowledge level about it.
Advantages:
We can find several advantages of this software in architectural design.
- The very first advantage of it is that it has a very user-friendly working interface which you can customize in different themes according to your suitability.
- The next one is that you can easily design a conceptual base design by customizing and modifying geometrical objects; you can use pull and push modeling quickly in this software, and multiple object extrude is also possible.
- The third one is it can render realistic images of models with a large suite of photorealistic rendering tools. It has a CineRender feature that allows it to render models in high resolution, and then you can enhance light, texture, shadow, brightness, and many more thing in your model to give it a more realistic look.
- The fourth important thing about this software is that Production and editing tools are more stable and intuitive than any similar software in the architectural field.
- It has a clearer concept for particular designs because it does not bog down with useless engineering functions.
Disadvantages:
Being many advantages of this software, we also have some disadvantages of it:
- The first disadvantage is that although it has a very good user interface, you may face less flexibility when customizing it than similar software for architectural designing.
- The second disadvantage is that you may face problems when setting up and customizing some features, that is, Revision or Change Manager, tools of new Stair and Railing, and many more.
- The third disadvantage is that it creates problems when transferring standard details into projects. So it needs enhanced exchange systems for information transfer.
Usage of ArchiCAD
As we have seen above that this software works for designing architectural structures and is compatible with Mac and Windows operating systems. Hence, many companies use it to design 2d and 3d models of architectural structures such as buildings, interiors, objects of interiors, and many more things to fulfill their client’s desires.
These were some important aspects of ArchiCAD software, which is very good in architectural design.
Conclusion
After interacting well with this article about this topic, you can understand what ArchiCAD is. What are essential features as well as valuable points about it for you? And how can you get benefit from it in your project work in a very effective way?
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