United States site instead?The most comprehensive design and documentation tool for architects
UIA World Congress Berlin/Budapest July 23, 2002 – Graphisoft
announced today the fall release of Archicad 8, its flagship architectural CAD
solution at the UIA World Congress, the world’s largest architectural convention.
Sporting a streamlined interface, Archicad 8 provides an even more efficient
tool for architects with improved navigation and document management, increase
application speed and essential developments in 2D drafting.
“The ability to create and manage documentation is key to increasing our
clients’ productivity and market competitiveness. Offering architects the freedom
of design, Archicad 8 is indispensable for not just large architectural firms
but also medium- and small-sized firms by freeing them from tedious drafting,”
states Ray Small, CEO of Graphisoft.
Enhanced Documentation Creation and Management
Archicad 8 gives architects easy and instant access to all documents stored
in the project file. “It helps architects arrange the project into typical
documentation sets like planning submissions, tenders or construction drawings
giving them complete control over the documentation,” explains Bence Kovács,
Graphisoft’s Vice President of Product Management. “It can also be used
to ensure documents comply to office standards.” Additionally, documents
can be easily distributed to the local network, printer, or even to a web-based
FTP server.
The new Layout Book helps users reduce documentation time by organizing a project’s
entire documentation automatically into one file with timesaving features such
as automatic page numbering, multiple master pages and intelligent title block
elements. All updates on the Virtual BuildingTM are automatically documented
on the final drawing sheets. “The new features are incredible. The Layout
Book is a deep workflow enhancer and makes what Archicad 7 did much more straightforward
and easy to use,” enthuses beta tester Geoffroy Magnan of Arcoplan -Architectes.
“We’ve made several improvements in detailing and drafting features to
expedite 2D work,” explains Kovács. Fully implemented Polylines
ease tedious drafting work, eliminating the need to re-shape elements. New intuitive
data entry also helps architects to create new elements how they want them –
right from the start. The new detail tool features direct links to dedicated
workspace as well as parametric detail markers that can meet users’ local standards
as well as individual documentation styles.
Expanded Virtual Building
“Archicad 8’s Solid Geometry Operations put the power to model complex
shapes using Boolean commands back into the hands of the Archicad user!”
enthuses beta tester Rex Maximilian of Maximilian ATS. Architects can create
more sophisticated elements simply, with good visual feedback options, – without
having to custom program objects. Using solid operations also improves accuracy
in bills of materials and other quantity surveys. “Bottom line… We are
going to see even greater library parts than ever before, and not just from
GDL developers, as a result of these new commands!” concludes Maximilian.
Increased Application Speed
Dramatic improvements have been made in both 2D and 3D navigation. No matter
how large a floor plan is, users can navigate in real-time using the mouse scroll
button. OpenGL graphic card support exploits the power of hardware accelerator
cards for real-time 3D navigation in a photo rendering quality with the building
remaining fully editable. Archicad 8 also boasts substantially reduced section
generation time.
Streamlined Interface
A new, unified look and feel to Archicad’s already easy-to-use interface and
a simplified menu structure with customizable features make Archicad friendlier
to both inexperienced and proficient users. This lets architects design and
navigate through documents with fewer mouse clicks. New users will especially
benefit from simplified default dialog boxes and can expect an even shorter
learning curve than ever before.
Product Availability
In Graphisoft’s continued commitment to supporting both Windows and Macintosh
platforms, Archicad 8 will run on Windows 2000 and XP; MacOS 9.1 and later,
as well as OS X. English, German and French versions of Archicad 8 will be available
through Graphisoft’s Distributor Partners beginning in the fall, with other
localized versions released through the first half of 2003. Archicad is available
through a large network of authorized resellers. To locate a reseller near you,
visit www.graphisoft.com/distributors.