ArchiCAD on Windows 8.1

Has it been a year since I posted about ArchiCAD on Windows 8? Wow. Here’s the latest on the newly released Windows 8.1:

2012 News: Compatibility Notes for ArchiCAD and Windows 8

2013 News: Compatibility Notes for ArchiCAD and Windows 8.1

Basically nothing new to report beyond the compatibility notes from Windows 8. So review the old post above for a refresher on the existing issues. However, it’s worth pointing out that while ArchiCAD 15 seems to work well on Windows 8.1-and earlier versions appear to work as well-only ArchiCAD 16 and ArchiCAD 17 are officially supported. What that means is if you are chugging along on an old version of ArchiCAD in Windows 8.1 and you find a doomsday glitch…you. are. fucked. Well maybe that’s fatalistic. More likely, you are pretty much on your own. Unless it’s a slow day at GS Tech Support. Maybe. You willing to take that chance?

ArchiCAD on OS X 10.9 Mavericks

2011 News: Compatibility Notes for OS X 10.7 Lion

2012 News: Compatibility Notes for OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion

2013 News: Compatibility Notes for OS X 10.9 Mavericks

UPDATE 10/30/13: There’s a useful discussion on the forum, here’s the link:
OS X 10.9 Mavericks discussion on the ArchiCAD Talk Forum

UPDATE 11/04/13: ArchiCAD 10 and 11 aren’t working on OS X 10.9 Mavericks. No word if that will ever change. You have been warned.

UPDATE 11/20/13: ArchiCAD 10 File Converter (download here) has been updated to run on OS X 10.9 Mavericks. Which also means if you are still on ArchiCAD 10, you can use that version to do your daily work as well, theoretically.

It’s worth reading through all the notes, but there’s nothing major. Read about App nap. That might be worth disabling for ArchiCAD from the get-go. I just disabled it for ArchiCAD 17. Anyone have thoughts on that?

If you’re upgrading from 10.6.8, you might want to read through the compatibility notes for 10.7 and 10.8 as they might reveal a few surprises (such as no more Power PC apps). Also in case you missed the announcement, the 10.9 upgrade is free for everyone on OS X 10.6, 10.7, or 10.8. More or less. This article will tell you more. So if you are running a half-way decent Mac, there’s no reason you shouldn’t be upgrading. It’s Free. My favorite addition to the Mac OS: Finder now supports Tabs. Finally. No more having a million Finder windows open. Now we will just have one with lots of Tabs. That is when we remember Tabs and stop using our old ways…

Just like for Windows 8.1, Graphisoft is only officially supporting ArchiCAD 16 and 17 on OS X 10.9. ArchiCAD 10-15 12 and higher should work fine, but do you want to bet your company on shoulds, probablies, and don’t call us if it doesn’t works? I wouldn’t. If you’re still using ArchiCAD 15 or earlier, it’s time to upgrade (for this and so many other reasons). And of course ArchiCAD 9 and earlier haven’t worked on a current Mac OS in years.

Java, Hotfixes, and maybe nothing to do with OS X 10.9 Mavericks

Coincidence? I found I had to manually update Java before I could install the latest Hotfix #3 for ArchiCAD 17 today. I’m not sure if this is related to having just switched to OS X 10.9, but since I’m talking about compatibility, I thought I’d mention it. You can get the latest version of Java here.

Upgrades = Migrations

And as always, if you’re upgrading to a new OS (whether Mac or PC), it is a good time to make sure you migrate all your old projects. Don’t lose access to your data because it’s too old or you were too lazy. Download the File Converters and get all your files to the latest version of ArchiCAD (these are only needed if you have files OLDER than version 8.1, as ArchiCAD 17 can still open ArchiCAD 8.1 files).

Follow Shoegnome on Facebook and Twitter for more reasons why not updating your software is slowly rapidly eroding your value. Trying to make a decision about which BIM software to use. I have the ultimate answer for you. Seriously, here’s BIM software you should use. But make sure it’s the latest version.