Creating keyboard shortcuts in ArchiCAD, a quick and helpful video
I regularly get questions about keyboard shortcuts. Probably the top two questions are "Is there a keyboard shortcut for Function A?" or "How do I make a keyboard shortcut for Function A?". Well to answer both those questions and some
What’s (BIM) Life Without a Challenge?
There is constant, never ending talk concerning the whole Revit vs ArchiCAD debate. In years past there have been CAD shootouts, though it's been long enough since the last one that they might as well have never happened. But there's
ArchiCAD 16 Hotfix #3 and ArchiCAD 15 Hotfix #5 released today
(NOTE: shortly after its release ArchiCAD 16 Hotfix-3 was suspended do to some unforeseen issues causing lots of instability. Turning off guidelines will help, but Graphisoft recommends you not upgrade until further notice. That means it's probably wisest to wait
GRAPHISOFT Launches EcoDesigner STAR Public Beta
BUDAPEST, February 6, 2013 — GRAPHISOFT®, the leading Building Information Modeling (BIM) architectural software developer, has announced the launch of EcoDesigner STAR Public Beta, the first software that places standard-compliant energy analysis in the heart of the architects' familiar BIM
Primary Benefits of BIM
This is the third part in a series about demystifying BIM. The first post Why you failed at BIM (you were impatient) looked at the struggles with BIM adoption. The second post There are Four BIM Flavors clarified the term
Guest Blogger Kata Danis: [eptar] Tiling Accessory for ArchiCAD
Creating wall and floor tiling plans in ArchiCAD Creating wall and floor tiling plans in ArchiCAD can be a troublesome task. The abilities of built-in elements and textures of ArchiCAD are limited when it comes to modelling and arranging tiles. In
Disabled Java plugin on Mac (new JAVA 7 Update 13 fixes this)
From the ArchiCADwiki: Breaking news - Disabled Java plugin on Mac Update 02/01/2013: Apple has recently blacklisted the Java Web plugin, as a result GRAPHISOFT's key plug programming site (https://upgrade.graphisoft.com/) is not working on Mac systems. In some cases the site returns
There are Four BIM Flavors
"In the short term, we are little bimmers. In the long term, we are Big Bimmers." -David "Joshua" Plager, AIA The comment above was posted on LinkedIN in response to my blog post "Why you failed at BIM". What a great sentiment.
Great Recession Survival Tactics for Generation Y Architects: Become the BIM Manager
The traditional paths for a bright-eyed go-getter were virtually non-existent; both design opportunities and client interactions were meager and sparse.
Why you failed at BIM (you were impatient)
While writing a post about a former coworker, I paused to create a few diagrams explaining why others in his position often fail to make the switch to ArchiCAD and BIM. These three diagrams help illustrate what causes people to
OrthoGraph Architect 4.1 released with simplified drawing
OrthoGraph's intuitive sketching and measuring functionality has been enhanced with a new simplified drawing workflow. The natural way of sketching a floor plan is extended with the Sketch & Tap feature which accelerates the creation of multi-room drawings with a
Switching to BIM? Emulate Paul’s Mindset
Part 1 "I just want you to know that computers are my life now." Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â -former coworker who loves hand drafting Paul never used AutoCAD or any other CAD program. In mid-2011, he got the go ahead from our bosses
Make the ARE Vignette Program HARDER
So I titled my post about the beta-testing of the ARE practice program "The Most Advanced 64-BIT Drafting Program". That was a bit of a snarky, jerk comment. I am so thrilled that it is finally going 64-bit. I have heard
Cutting a hole in a 2D Morph
Over on BIM Engine (the Graphisoft North America Blog which I also write for), someone had a question about how to cut a hole in a 2D Morph. Well the easiest way to explain that was to do a quick
Quick and Pretty Renderings From ArchiCAD
The above rendering is fairly typical of what I show clients these days. It's not the most complex image, but it's fast and easy. And you could imagine that with a little more effort scalies, trees, etc. could be easily
The Most Advanced 64-bit Drafting Program
Not ArchiCAD, Revit, or BIM, but an even MORE sophisticated program is now beta testing in 64-bit. NCARB is beta testing a new service that allows customers with 64-bit Windows systems and Macs to access the ARE Practice Programs. NCARB Record
I spend most of my time working on 1D models
I'll talk about all the convergence I've been seeing in 2013 another time. Suffice to say that Randy Deutsch's tweet about this Design Intelligence article fit too perfectly with part of my talks from ABX and EcoBuild. So I'm spurred
You are a Dinosaur
If you are reading this you are a dinosaur. The digital natives will steal your job. But that's okay because you won't be qualified to do your job when they start taking responsibility from us. And I do mean us
Best BIM Blog Post Ever
I just want to make sure you have all read this and that there's a link from my blog to it. How I wish I had written it! And today seems like a good time to link to it because
GRAPHISOFT and BIMobject Sign Strategic Partnership Agreement
MUNICH, January 16, 2013 — Leading BIM technology providers GRAPHISOFT® and BIMobject® announced today at BAU 2013 that they have signed a strategic partnership agreement, which aims to serve the ArchiCAD community with the broadest range of intelligent BIM components
ArchiCAD STAR(T) 2013 vs Revit LT 2013
Let's Do This. You should all know my feelings on comparing software by now. Especially ArchiCAD vs Revit. All I really know about the two light versions of ArchiCAD and Revit is what I've read and heard. I haven't used either. But
ArchiCAD STAR(T) Edition 2013 – look who’s all grown up
BUDAPEST, January 11, 2013 — GRAPHISOFT today announced the release of ArchiCAD STAR(T) Edition 2013 starting with the German and Austrian versions. ArchiCAD STAR(T) EDITION 2013 runs on the robust, well-tested engine of ArchiCAD 16 for unparalleled speed and performance, and
Hints of ArchiCAD 17
I'm always keeping an eye out for news about the future of ArchiCAD While Graphisoft like most technology companies keeps most of their forthcoming features as closely kept secrets (for good reason), there are hints about the future. For instance, it's
Onward towards 1,000
I'll use Post 300 as an opportunity to look ahead to the coming year. I'll be honest. I want to hit 1,000 followers on Facebook, Twitter, or Youtube this year. And then 1,000 on the remaining two in 2014. It's not
ArchiCAD Tutorial Videos on YouTube
Fun Fact: YouTube was officially launched in November 2005. I first learned ArchiCAD in January 2006. While writing my post on ArchiCAD heroes, I realized I was defining them very narrowly. I wanted to focus that post on those shining lights that