Graphisoft - Press releases

BIMcomponents.com Channels BIM Objects from BIMobject®

BUDAPEST, May 8, 2013 -- GRAPHISOFT, the developer of ArchiCAD, the Number One choice of architects for BIM solutions, will now channel BIM objects from the BIMobject® cloud and integrate them into the organic search results on BIMcomponents.com.

BIMcomponents.com, GRAPHISOFT’s portal for parametric BIM objects, will automatically channel objects developed, maintained, and published by real manufacturers in the central cloud solution at BIMobject.com.

The brand recognition of BIMobject® is well known and certifies that the objects come from real manufacturers and are real products that can be specified and sourced in real life. The unique channel concept developed by BIMobject allows building product portals to channel the BIM objects used by more and more websites around the world. For manufacturers, this offers convenience by centralizing the hosting and maintenance of their digital product data; the BIMobject® cloud handles all the building product searches to be updated.

The cooperation between GRAPHISOFT and BIMobject® will increase the visibility of the manufacturers’ BIM objects and simplify the way architects and engineers can search for BIM objects and download them to their favorite BIM system. These high quality BIM objects are guaranteed to be by the manufacturers and quality controlled by BIM experts from BIMobject®.

”The integration with BIMobject.com, the world's leading manufacturer specific content provider, offers direct access to an extensive collection of high quality BIM content by real manufacturers available both in ArchiCAD 17 and on BIMcomponents.com. This creates a huge value for our users by providing the quality and details very much a standard for the BIMobject® content,” said Akos Pfemeter, Director of Global Marketing, GRAPHISOFT.

”We are very pleased to have BIMcomponents as the latest in a long row of channel partners. We continue to serve building and interior product manufacturers to create a dynamic and maintainable infrastructure for product content management. We expect the BIMcomponents.com collaboration to be very useful for both ArchiCAD users as well as the manufacturers in the building industry,” said Stefan Larsson, CEO of BIMobject AB.

About BIMobject AB

BIMobject® is a game changer for the construction industry worldwide with its cloud-based portal offering development, maintenance and syndication of digital replicas – BIM objects – of manufactured building and interior products.

The marketing and pre-sales services associated with the portal are channelled and integrated, through specialized software, into CAD/BIM applications to create a business-to-business communication across the globe.

Manufacturers use BIMobject® to promote and deliver their products directly into BIM processes enabling their products to be selected and generate a real improvement in sales.

About GRAPHISOFT

GRAPHISOFT® ignited the BIM revolution with ArchiCAD®, the industry first BIM software for architects. GRAPHISOFT continues to lead the industry with innovative solutions such as the revolutionary GRAPHISOFT BIM Server™, the world’s first real-time BIM collaboration environment, and the GRAPHISOFT EcoDesigner™, the world's first fully integrated building energy modeling application. GRAPHISOFT’s innovative solutions have fundamentally changed the way architects around the world design and collaborate. GRAPHISOFT® has been part of the Nemetschek Group, since its acquisition in 2007.

ArchiCAD 17 – “BIM Lives in the Details”

BUDAPEST, May 7, 2013 – GRAPHISOFT® announced today ArchiCAD 17, the latest version of its award-winning building information modeling (BIM) software. The new release delivers capabilities that greatly simplify the modeling and documentation of buildings even when the model contains a high level of detail. ArchiCAD’s end-to-end BIM workflow allows the model to stay live until the very end of the project.

“Many architectural practices use their BIM solutions up to the design and development phase only to switch to 2D for construction documentation,” said László Vértesi, Vice President of Product Development at GRAPHISOFT. “ArchiCAD 17’s brand new Priority Based Connections put a real ROI on the work put into the creation of the BIM model by automatically providing construction documentation level sections and details.”

Priority Based Connections – Structurally Correct Details out of the Box

Priority Based Connections, together with Intelligent Building Materials, automatically provide structurally correct sections and details. Further usability improvements such as Intelligent Element Association to Story Heights and Intelligent Reference Line Handling of Elements make ArchiCAD the best BIM-based construction documentation solution available on the market today.

Industry-first Background Processing – Large/Complex Models to Stay Responsive

To further enhance productivity, ArchiCAD 17 takes the next revolutionary step in multi-core processing to support the creation and manipulation of large complex models with industry-first Background Processing Support for faster generation of complex model details. Optimized Scaling of Multiple-core CPUs boosts performance on large complex models. The software features Improved Central Graphics Unit Performance to make 3D navigation even smoother when working with extra large models.

Extended IFC Model View Definitions – OPEN BIM to Support National Standards

ArchiCAD 17 supports Coordination View 2.0 and expands capabilities for defining new IFC data such as Concept Design BIM 2010 (required by GSA (US), Statsbygg (Norway), Senate Properties (Finland), FM Handover (required by COBie), and others. This includes currency unit export, calendar date type IFC properties and IfcSystems Assignment Support for system type elements such as MEP systems.

BIMobject® Partnership – Boost in Directly Accessible GDL Content for ArchiCAD Users

Integration with BIMobject.com, the world's No.1 manufacturer-specific content provider, offers direct access to an extensive collection of high quality BIM content by Real Manufacturers available both in ArchiCAD 17 and on BIMcomponents.com. With this partnership, BIMcomponents.com takes an important step to becoming the central portal for GDL content for ArchiCAD users.

Workflow Improvements – Integrated Design, Visualization and Analysis Workflow

ArchiCAD 17 delivers a wide array of workflow improvements including an Improved MORPH Tool to support conceptual design with useful zoning information and Real-time 3D Cutting Planes to give extra control of ArchiCAD’s 3D modeling environment. Inclusion of fully functional BIMx in every installation enables users to share BIM projects with their clients in the form of interactive BIM project environments; further improved Energy Evaluation supporting multiple thermal zones allows users to evaluate their designs with standard compliant technology.

ArchiCAD 17 will be released on June 1, 2013, with shipment to customers beginning within a few weeks of the official release. Following a tight release schedule, all 26 local versions are planned to reach the market by the end of Q3 2013. For more information about ArchiCAD 17, please visit: http://www.graphisoft.com/archicad/archicad_17/overview/. For a live demonstration of ArchiCAD 17, please register for the upcoming “BIM Lives in the Details” webinar on June 18, 2013.

About GRAPHISOFT

Live Online Seminar: Architectural Visualization of ArchiCAD models using Artlantis

MEDIA ALERT

WHO:

GRAPHISOFT, the leading Building Information Modeling (BIM) software vendor

WHAT:

A live online seminar featuring Abvent’s Artlantis, the fastest stand-alone 3D rendering application developed especially for architects and designers. Artlantis is ideal for quickly and easily creating high resolution 3D renderings, iVisit 3D Panoramas, QuickTime VR Objects, and animations. A recognized leader in preview window technology, Artlantis is the rendering software used by architects, designers and urban design professionals in more than 80 countries, including thousands of ArchiCAD users.

We will be joined by Xavier Vanabelle of Asymetrie, a graphic design studio located in Belgium. Xavier will present an exciting new project modeled in ArchiCAD and rendered in Artlantis. With over ten years experience in architectural visualization, the team at Asymetrie has collaborated on a variety of projects, including the design of urban areas, private homes, museums, and schools.

Join us on April 30 to learn how to export an ArchiCAD model to Artlantis to create jaw-dropping, photo-realistic renderings and animations!

WHEN:

Tuesday, April 30, 2013
Please register for any of the dates below to join the free, online seminar!

For Australia and Asia:

Tue, Apr 30, 2013 4:00 PM - 5:00 PM AEST
register here: https://www3.gotomeeting.com/register/170259694

For Europe, Middle-East and Africa:

Tue, Apr 30, 2013 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM BST
register here: https://www3.gotomeeting.com/register/802537782

For the Americas:

Tue, Apr 30, 2013 9:00 AM - 10:00 AM PST (12:00 PM - 13:00 PM EST)
register here: https://www3.gotomeeting.com/register/811137718

About GRAPHISOFT

A Winning Combination: ArchiCAD, ArchDaily and Portuguese Architecture

BUDAPEST, April 4, 2013 – GRAPHISOFT®, the leading Building Information Modeling (BIM) architectural software developer, is pleased to announce that several ArchiCAD-designed buildings by Portuguese architects have finished with high marks in the annual ArchDaily Building of the Year Awards.

Luis Rebelo de Andrade and Diogo Aguiar have won the ArchDaily Building of the Year Award in the Hotels and Restaurants category for their Eco-Resort design in Pedras Salgadas, Portugal. The resort consists of a set of seven small houses in perfect harmony with the surrounding outdoors. Designed in a modular pre-fabrication system flexible enough to adapt to the specific spaces within the park, these houses are varying combinations of the same three modules, creating different lay-outs and dialogues with the outdoors, occupying the empty spaces between the trunks of large trees and, at the same time, allowing each home to be unique in its own way. The pitched roofs of the small buildings redefine the contours of the park boundary and result in comfortable yet dynamic spaces. The slate tile shell façade used throughout the design is a nod to local construction traditions, while the wood slats used in the balconies create comfortable, rest areas.

ArchDaily finalist Louisinha Arquitectos won praise for its design of the MPA building in Porto. Located in the old industrial zone of Porto, the mixed-use building houses a school, offices, and retail areas. The use of steel and dark-colored plaster is a nod to the industrial past of the zone in which the building is located.

Another finalist in the ArchDaily awards is Pedra Silva Architects, for their design of a dental clinic in Lisbon. The architects’ design of the clinic was in response to the question, “Why do healthcare spaces have to be cold?” The architects were committed to emphasizing the social and human side of healthcare facilities by designing two very distinct environments: the clinic space and the social space. The clinical space aspires to convey confidence and calm in the patient by using mainly white materials. The social space was designed to offer patients relaxation and comfort as a means of distancing them from the clinical mindset.

About ArchDaily

Founded in 2008, ArchDaily is one of the leading sources of continuous information for thousands of architects searching for the latest architectural news: projects, products, events, interviews, and competitions. Its annual Building of the Year award draws the best and brightest architects and designers. From upcoming small practices, to renowned established offices, the selection includes projects that show clear resolution, assertive use of materials, structural challenges and new ways to approach programatic issues.

About GRAPHISOFT

GRAPHISOFT ArchiCAD Receives IFC Certification 2.0, Passes COBie Design Challenge

BUDAPEST, March 26, 2013 – GRAPHISOFT announced today important milestones in its support for Open BIM with ArchiCAD having successfully passed both IFC Coordination View 2.0 (Certification 2.0) and the buildingSMART alliance 2013 COBie Challenge.

ArchiCAD is now certified for the IFC 2x3 Coordination View Version 2.0 export, making ArchiCAD among the very first to achieve this certification as of 12 March 2013, and is 100% COBie compliant (“buildingSMART alliance January 2013 Challenge”, Washington, DC).

“It’s not enough for us to champion IFC as an open-code standard format; we strive to support our customers with reliable open collaboration workflows with other building professions as well” said Ákos Rechtorisz, Head of the Open BIM Program at GRAPHISOFT.

The Coordination View was the first Model View Definition developed by buildingSMART International and is currently the most widely implemented view of the IFC scheme. Its main purpose is to allow sharing of building information models among the disciplines of architecture, structural engineering, and building services (mechanical).

The COBie specification requires the support of the IFC 2x3 Basic FM Handover View, an extended version of the Coordination View developed by buildingSMART. It defines general requirements for information handover to facility management. Support for COBie is important in the US as well as in the UK and all other English-speaking countries.