Products and Services
The Archicad Solution
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Why switch to Archicad and not another CAD product? Archicad is a mature virtual modeling solution that has been on the market since 1984. It is not an add-on to a generic CAD package, but was developed from the beginning to meet the unique demands of architects and building professionals. Archicad’s focus on architectural design rather than 2D drafting makes it easier to learn and more productive than other CAD systems. One software takes you from concept to construction Archicad addresses every facet of the architectural process in one integrated software package, from design and documentation to communication and collaboration. Using the same file throughout the project – an integrated 3D virtual building model – you can do a quick conceptual massing study, work out a functional design arrangement, design complex elements in 3D, and produce full construction document sets complete with scale-sensitive details, Bills of Quantities, door/window schedules, sections/elevations, 3D cutaway views, photorealistic renderings, and more. Archicad’s Virtual Building model, unlike a simple visualization 3D model, is a comprehensive building database that is used to manage the whole information life-cycle of a project. Your Archicad design data is useful in the building management phase, adding even more value to your work. Built for architecture, by architects In Archicad, you work with all the familiar construction elements like walls, windows and doors, columns and beams, roofs, floors, and stairs – instead of simple lines, arcs and circles. When you place elements on your floor plan, they automatically contain information about their material, thickness and behavior, so a 3D visualization of your model is created with no extra steps. You can design and edit in the 3D window, and navigate the model in real time to check the design. Archicad also works with a true story concept, allowing you to create an unlimited number of stories that build upon each other. Integrated CAD guarantees coordinated documents At any time, you can access just the right representation of the building, for all the different partners involved in your project. Construction documents and files can be derived with no additional software and virtually no repetitive work. Because all the information comes from a central database, modifications made in one view (plan, section/elevation, 3D model, schedule) are reflected in all others. So you are free to make last minutes changes with the assurance that your documents will be coordinated and true to the current state of the building model. Instant visualization means powerful presentations Your clients will truly understand your vision when you show it to them as an animation, a virtual reality scene or a photo-realistic rendering. Views can be taken from any point, looking anywhere. For more realism, you can place site photos or other backgrounds in your renderings and create animated sun studies for any date, time and position on earth. Because these visualizations are derived form the 3D model, they always reflect the current state of the building model. With its host of powerful presentation tools, Archicad can pay for itself by helping you avoid costly design errors, and win new projects. Immediate access to real world objects To accelerate the design process, Archicad is shipped with a large library of building components, including parametric furnishings, doors, windows, skylights, appliances, people and construction elements. Architects can expand and customize their object libraries at any time by simply modifying parameters, creating their own objects, or accessing the tens of thousands of additional objects available through Graphisoft, building product manufacturers and on the Web. View a selection of such intelligent objects here! Smooth collaboration, across the office, disciplines and the world Archicad's TeamWork functionality provides a multi-user environment for teams to collaborate on a singe project file. Team members can divide up parts of a building to work on, share changes and view what other team members are doing. TeamWork is flexible, easy to set up, and can be configured to be inter- and intra-office. The ProjectXChange tools manage the distribution of documents outside of the design team in widely used industry formats. Documents can be published in sets, and automatically distributed locally or over the Internet. All project documents are consistent and reproducible, so there is no need to rely on inadequate external, error prone hardcopy and manual checking techniques. Embedded viewing and redlining functionality is provided so that clients, consultants and other partners in the development process can review and annotate these documents. These redlined files can be rapidly merged into the project model. Industry-wide interoperability Archicad's file conversion capabilities comply with today and tomorrow’s requirements, to ensure smooth collaboration with consultants and colleagues. Not only does it offer file exchange with all major formats including DXF, DWG (AutoCAD r12 to 2000) and DGN, Archicad also supports the IAI’s new IFC standard, which allows many disparate applications such as building services design, construction estimating and planning and thermal performance to share data from Archicad’s virtual model. Legacy data is never a lost cause Whether you are working on a renovation of an old project or need to access a detail library, you can access your legacy data from the latest version of Archicad – no matter if your data is saved in an Archicad format, or another commonly used CAD format. Major upgrades of Archicad are released regularly to ensure that users are up-to-date or ahead of the rest of the industry with the latest technologies. File conversion capabilities are updated even more frequently, giving users access to the current version of other tools. Easy to learn, easy to use Archicad has always been developed through listening to the users, which include both individual architects and architectural offices with hundreds of CAD users whose projects range from residential to large-scale industrial and office buildings. Graphisoft’s innovative software engineering has ensured that the Archicad remains easy to use, no matter how powerful the tools. Archicad’s intuitive interface and architectural intelligence enables the novice user to develop expertise fast. Experience has proven that users typically become productive with the software within three days. We're here when you need us With over 1,000 resellers in more than 80 countries, Graphisoft provides the critical support you need, offering you quality service wherever you are. This backing from Graphisoft and its resellers – such as training and hotlines – means security for your company.
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