System requirements

See the minimum and recommended hardware specifications for Graphisoft solutions.

Archicad 29 &
MEP Designer 29

Recommended configurationMinimum Hardware Requirements
Project sizeEntry-level
Residential homes		Mid-range
Apartment and office
Buildings		High-end
High rises, Hospitals
CPUMacApple M1Apple M2/M3/M4Apple M2 Max/M2 UltraIntel x64 multi-core processor
PCIntel Core i5
AMD Ryzen 5		Intel Core i7
AMD Ryzen 7		Intel Core i9
AMD Ryzen 9		Intel/AMD x64 multi-core processor
Note: a CPU with high single core speed is recommended
RAM16 GB32 GB64+ GB8 GB RAM
DiskSATA SSDNVMe SSDNVMe SSD5+ GB of free space
Graphics card

4 GB VRAM DirectX 11
compatible graphics cards
Benchmark* score of 10,000 or higher

6 GB VRAM DirectX 11

compatible graphics cards
Benchmark* score of 15,000 or higher

8 GB VRAM DirectX 11

compatible graphics cards
Benchmark* score of 20,000 or higher

DirectX 11 compatible graphics card
*Graphisoft provides this external information without any verification and does not take any responsibility for the provided information there
Note: To utilize the Redshift rendering engine, an NVIDIA graphics card with Cuda 7.0 or higher, or AMD’s Navi/Vega is required. It is recommended to have at least 8GB of VRAM for optimal Redshift rendering performance.
Display resolutionFHD+ (1920×1080)2K (2560×1600)5K (5120×2880)1440×900
Optional Hardware PeripheralsAll major plotters, printers, and digitizers can be used with Archicad. Driver support is provided by the operating system.
InternetFast internet access is essential for tasks such as connecting to a user’s Graphisoft ID, using the License Manager Tool, accessing BIMcloud from a remote location, and downloading updates for Archicad
Protection keyTo utilize Archicad 28 for commercial purposes, either a cloud license, a CodeMeter software key, or a CodeMeter hardware key is required.
Operating SystemMacPC
SupportedmacOS 26 Tahoe
macOS 15 Sequoia
macOS 14 Sonoma
Windows 11
Installable but not supported
Windows 10
What is “installable but not supported”?
This means you can install Archicad on this operating system, but it’s not recommended for the following reasons:
  • No Guarantee of Functionality: The software may fail to install, crash, or not work as intended on the unsupported OS version. The developer does not ensure that the program will run correctly or at all on that system.
  • No Updates or Fixes: If you encounter bugs or issues while running the software on an unsupported OS, the developer will not provide patches or technical support to resolve them for that OS version.
  • Potential Compatibility Problems: Changes in the OS (such as new features, security models, or removed system components) can break the software or cause unexpected behavior.
  • Security and Compliance Risks: Using unsupported combinations can expose you to security vulnerabilities, as neither the operating system nor the software may receive necessary security updates for that environment
For further details, please refer to Microsoft’s official information here: 
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/end-of-support

Learn more about the recommended hardware on Community
System Requirements of previous Archicad versions

BIMx

BIMx Mobile Recommended configuration Minimum Requirements
Operating System iOS26, iPadOS 26 Android 15 iOS 15 Android 11
Devices Recent high-end devices
Apple Android
iPad Pro 6th gen or newer Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 or newer
iPhone 15 or newer Samsung Galaxy S24 or newer
BIMx Web Recommended Minimum Hardware Requirements
Web browser Windows Chrome, Edge, Firefox Web Browser
macOS Safari, Chrome, Firefox
iOS, iPadOS not supported
Android Chrome
Hardware Keyboard and mouse or a device equipped with touchscreen
Optional hardware Microsoft Xbox compatible game controller, 3DConnexion SpaceMouse –
BIMx Desktop Recommended Minimum Requirements
CPU Intel Core i5 or better
AMD Ryzen 5 or better
Apple M1 or better 		Intel/AMD x64 or Apple silicon multicore processor
Memory 8+ GB RAM 4 GB RAM
Graphics card 4+ GB
OpenGL 4.5 compatible 		OpenGL compatible
Display resolution FHD+ (1920×1080) 1024×768
Disk SSD
5+ GB of free space 		5+ GB of free space
Input hardware Keyboard, mouse or touchpad, or a device equipped with touchscreen
Optional hardware Microsoft Xbox compatible game controller, 3DConnexion SpaceMouse –
Operating System Windows 11
macOS 26 Tahoe		 Windows 11
macOS 10.15
Installable but not supported Windows 10
What is “installable but not supported”?
This means you can install BIMx Desktop on this operating system from Microsoft Store, but it’s not recommended for the following reasons:
  • No Guarantee of Functionality: The software may fail to install, crash, or not work as intended on the unsupported OS version. The developer does not ensure that the program will run correctly or at all on that system.
  • No Updates or Fixes: If you encounter bugs or issues while running the software on an unsupported OS, the developer will not provide patches or technical support to resolve them for that OS version
  • Potential Compatibility Problems: Changes in the OS (such as new features, security models, or removed system components) can break the software or cause unexpected behavior.
  • Security and Compliance Risks: Using unsupported combinations can expose you to security vulnerabilities, as neither the operating system nor the software may receive necessary security updates for that environment
For further details, please refer to Microsoft’s official information here: 
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/end-of-support

BIMcloud

Recommended configuration Minimum Hardware Requirements
Firm size Small
2 – 5 active users		 Medium
5 – 25 active users		 Large
25+ active users
Project size Up to 10 concurently running small projects. (100-150 MB in pln format each) For further information get in touch with us
CPU 4+ cores
2.2+ Ghz		 8+ cores
2.5+ Ghz		 12+ cores
2.2+ Ghz		 Intel/AMD x64 or Apple ARM multicore processor
Memory 16+ GB RAM 32+ GB RAM 64+ GB RAM
Disk SSD SSD SSD Internal storage
NVMe/SATA NVMe/SATA NVMe/Enterprise
Solutions
50+ GB of free space above hosted data 100+ GB of free space above hosted data 100+ GB of free space above hosted data
Operating System
Windows 11, Windows Server 2022
macOS 26 Tahoe, macOS 15 Sequoia, macOS 14 Sonoma
Not installable macOS 13 Ventura
Windows 10, Windows Server 2019

BIMcloud Software as a Service

Minimum Acceptable Recommended
Archicad Please meet or exceed the recommended configuration for Archicad shown on the top of this page.
Bandwidth Internet connection with symmetrical 8 Mbps download / 8 Mbps upload connection for each machine. Internet connection with symmetrical 15 Mbps download / 15 Mbps upload connection for each machine. Internet connection with symmetrical 50 Mbps download / 50 Mbps upload connection for each machine.
Latency (measured from Google Cloud servers) 150 – 120 ms 120 – 80 ms Less than 80 ms
For production usage, make sure both bandwidth and latency meet at least the acceptable values on each machine.

The location of BIMcloud Software as a Service tenants are tied to the country of purchase. The service is powered by Google Cloud Platform. You may select on the drop-down list below the country of purchase to output the region where the BIMcloud Software as a Service tenancy will geographically reside. A good tool to check latency from your region to that location can be found at GCPing.com.

Select your Country:

Google Cloud Server:

For more information, please visit our Community.

DDScad

Windows PC / Notebook / Workstation

Recommended configuration Minimum Hardware Requirements
Project size Entry-level
single family houses 		Medium-sized
residential and commercial buildings 		Major projects
residential construction,
high-rise buildings, hospitals, etc. 		Simple small projects/apartment planning
(e. g. for teaching and exercise purposes)
Operating system PC
Supported Windows 11
Installable but not supported Windows 10 Professional 64bit (x64) 21H1 or newer

What is “installable but not supported”?
You can install Archicad on this operating system, but it’s not recommended for the following reasons:

  • No Guarantee of Functionality: The software may fail to install, crash, or not work as intended on the unsupported OS version. The developer does not ensure that the program will run correctly or at all on that system. 
  • No Updates or Fixes: If you encounter bugs or issues while running the software on an unsupported OS, the developer will not provide patches or technical support to resolve them for that OS version. 
  • Potential Compatibility Problems: Changes in the OS (such as new features, security models, or removed system components) can break the software or cause unexpected behavior. 
  • Security and Compliance Risks: Using unsupported combinations can expose you to security vulnerabilities, as neither the operating system nor the software may receive necessary security updates for that environment.

For further details, please refer to Microsoft’s official information here: 
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/end-of-support 
CPU Intel Core i51
AMD Ryzen 51 		Current Intel Core i7
Current AMD Ryzen 7 		Current Intel Core i9
Current AMD Ryzen 9		 Intel Core i51
AMD Ryzen 51
Memory 16+ GB RAM 16+ GB RAM 32+ GB RAM2 8+ GB RAM
Graphics card OpenGL 4.2, 2+ GB VRAM NVIDIA CAD-GPU, 4+ GB VRAM, e. g. NVIDIA Quadro T / RTX (A) NVIDIA CAD-GPU, 8+ GB VRAM, e. g. NVIDIA Quadro RTX (A) OpenGL 4.2, 2+ GB VRAM
Display resolution FHD+ (1920×1080) Two or more screens with
FHD+ (1920 x 1080) or widescreen 		FHD+ (1920×1080)
Disk 20+ GB free space SSD 256+ GB free space M.2 NVMe 5+ GB free space
Data storage Local or LAN with 1Gbit or higher3

License server/dongle server

Operating system Windows 10 or newer / Windows Server 2016 or newer
Network4 LAN or via VPN / WAN
USB Local 2.0 or higher, or via network (USB-Server / UTN), driver version 7.6.9

Windows CAD terminal server

Installed locally Virtualized
Operating system MS Windows Server 2019 or newer
CPU User and application specific5
Memory
Graphics card5 Performant OpenGL in the user session
e. g. NVIDIA with professional driver 		Performant OpenGL in the user session
NVIDIA Virtual GPU
Data storage Local or LAN with 1Gbit or higher3
DDScad Dongle Dongle server with network dongle

For more information about graphics cards, please visit the corresponding websites of NVIDIA.

Notes:

1 Processor generation max. 4 years old

2 Optimally ECC with identical modules

3 No cloud storage, no WAN / data access via VPN, no synchronization, etc., no UNC paths

4 Ports 6001 TCP and 6002 UDP must be accessible (adjust firewall port filter if necessary)

5 Exact configuration depends on the general usage of the (CAD) terminal server and the remaining hardware

Administrator rights are required for installation and updates. For further information please refer to the installation instructions in our web manual.

DDScad is a native 64bit application. The last 32bit version was DDS-CAD 13.

The license activation is done via a USB hardlock key / dongle. For necessary license updates (1 x / year) the dongle must be plugged and set up locally as a device (physical USB port).

Please note that we cannot provide support for hardware or third party software. Please contact the respective manufacturers or your system house for technical questions or exact configurations or settings.