ARCHICAD 12 NEW FEATURES LIST

Curtain Wall 3D Document StairMaker Enhancements Partial Structure Display Bi-Directional Drawing Marker Referencing Nudge/Align/Distribute Elements Dialog Box Enhancements Section/Elevation Marker Display Reveal Options for Doors/Windows Fill Enhancements PMK File Format Improved Dimensioning Input Logic DWG Element Conversion Improvements Performance Multi-Page Layouts for Schedules and Indexes Grid Tool Improved Hotlink Management Label Enhancements With the Curtain Wall, we introduce the first System Tool for ArchiCAD - a new approach to construction elements. Curtain Walls are an assembly of members arranged according to a scheme, to form a hierarchical system that can be handled together as a single element, with each level of the hierarchy remaining accessible and editable separately. The Curtain Wall tool enables you to configure, place, and edit an element consisting of Frame, Panel, Accessory and Junction elements: these are the Members of the Curtain Wall, arranged on a Base Surface according to a pre-defined and editable Scheme. To control the whole hierarchy at once, System level settings, which defines the overall scheme and configures members on all levels, has been organized into a multi-page settings dialog, new to ArchiCAD. Curtain Walls can be manipulated in the same way as any construction element in ArchiCAD. But unlike other elements, a Curtain Walls component members can be placed and edited individually, without disassembling the System. To enable graphical manipulation of sub-structural members, each Curtain Wall can be accessed at a deeper level: the Curtain Wall Edit mode. This is a graphical 3D workspace, similar to ArchiCAD's own, with dedicated tools and techniques to manipulate Curtain Wall members. In this context, only the members and scheme of the
ArchiCAD 12 New Features List

Curtain Wall
A new Curtain Wall tool, located in the regular ArchiCAD toolbar, lets you design and document complex Curtain Wall systems in the Floor Plan, Section or 3D window.

Curtain Wall are editable, although the rest of the model can be also displayed in a background manner, as a reference. Since Curtain Wall members are typically present in sequences of similar elements, dedicated find and select options and the new grip functionality help to identify and select members for further editing. Once selected, any parameters of any Curtain Wall member can be accessed in settings dialogs. Since Curtain Walls often feature extreme geometry that does not necessarily coincide with vertical-horizontal planes, ArchiCAD offers versatile input planes for greater freedom in surface definition. Also, in comparison with other construction elements, a higher level of editing freedom is provided: including input in Section views, boundary editing, and free rotation. See Curtain Wall: A System Tool in ArchiCAD Help.

3D Document
The 3D Document allows you to use any 3D view of the model as the basis for creating a document where dimensions, annotations and additional 2D drawing elements may be added. For example, you can convert a detail drawing into a document that shows information in 3D - such as intersection of composite walls in space, including dimensions and annotations. In the 3D window, set up a 3D view of the model: the view you want to see in your 3D Document. Set up the perspective or projected 3D view; use 3D Cutting Planes, filter or select elements, use Marquee as needed, or perform solid element operations. Create a new 3D Document based on the 3D Window source. Annotate the document as needed, adding labels and dimensions.

For more information on this feature, see 3D Document in ArchiCAD Help.

StairMaker Enhancements
More Flexible 2D Display of Stairs with Improved Interface
Stair Settings offers many more parameters allowing you to adjust the Floor Plan symbol display of stairs to conform to local standards. Custom User Interface Settings (2D Symbol and Attributes) allow for flexible text display, railing/walking line symbols, handrail types, 2D symbol and 3D attributes.

See Symbol Settings (StairMaker) in ArchiCAD Help.

ArchiCAD 12 New Features List

Text Display parameters similar to those of regular GDL stairs: Single Winder at Lower End; Single Winder at Upper End; Single Winder U-Return; Double Winder U-Return.

Four New Standard Stair Types for StairMaker

User defines offset of risers in winders from the corner(s) of the stair.

Flexible Options for Defining Location of Saved Stair

When you save a new stair created with StairMaker, you can browse any library location:

See the ArchiCAD 12 Library Guide, available from the Help menu, for more detailed New Features information for Stair Tool and StairMaker. User defines number of risers in the winder; related parameters will be adjusted accordingly.

Partial Structure Display

Flexible Display of Core/Finish skins of Composite and Complex Elements Show/Hide skins as needed using Partial Structure Display dialog box: Entire Structure; Core Only; or Without Finishes. Save Partial Structure settings along with views

See Partial Structure Display in ArchiCAD Help.

ArchiCAD 12 New Features List

Bi-Directional Drawing Marker Referencing

The Title panel of Drawing Settings now gives you access to the Back Reference function. Back Reference allows you add Layout ID information to the Drawing Title: specifically, the ID of one or more Layouts that contain a Drawing showing the source marker of the current Drawing. See Drawing Title Reference to Drawing Source (Back Reference to Layout Containing Source Marker) in ArchiCAD Help.

Nudge Shortcut
A quick way to move elements on the screen is to use the Nudge feature: select one or more elements, then use Shift + arrow key (Left/Right/Up/Down) to move the element left, right, up or down. The Nudge factor - the increment by which you will move the element - is the same as the distance entered for your Snap Grid in View > Grid Options > Grids & Background. To Nudge a selected element in larger increments, use Shift + Alt + an arrow key. This will move the selected elements by the distance entered for your Construction Grid in View > Grid Options > Grids & Background. See Nudging Elements in ArchiCAD Help.

Align Elements
Use the Align menu (Edit > Align) to align selected elements with each other, or to a custom-drawn target line, using a variety of criteria: Align elements right or left; Align elements to the top or bottom; Center elements vertically or horizontally; Special-align elements to any line on an existing element, or to a temporary line/arc drawn by you.

The Align commands are only active if you have selected at least two elements. See Align Elements in ArchiCAD Help.

Nudge/Align/Distribute Elements
User may now select any object in 2D or 3D and nudge, align and distribute in a manner similar to popular office applications.

Distribute Elements
Use this menu (Edit > Distribute) to evenly distribute selected elements using a variety of criteria: The Distribute commands are only active if you have selected at least two elements. The two selected elements at either end will remain in place; the rest of the selected elements. See Distribute Elements in ArchiCAD Help.

ArchiCAD 12 New Features List

Dialog Box Enhancements

Splitter Bars
Splitter bars make it easier and faster to see and interact with dialog box panels as you need them. New splitter bars in the following dialog boxes: Layer Settings HotLink Manager Work Environment (Keyboard Shortcuts, Toolbox, Tool Settings, Info Box, Toolbars, Menus)

These settings will remain in the right side of the dialog box even if you use the browser to look through library objects on the left. To again return the browser to the status in which it shows the currently selected objects place in the library, click the Show in library command, accessible by clicking the black arrow next to the object name in the Preview and Positioning Panel.

Moreover, in the Layer Settings Dialog Box and the Object Tool Settings dialog boxes (Door, Window, etc.), you can double-click anywhere along the Splitter to open or close it. (Or single-click on the black arrow.)

Section/Elevation Marker Display

Section and Elevation Marker display is no longer a Model View Option. Set separate preferences for Section markers and Elevation markers in the respective Settings dialog boxes.

Resizeable/Sortable Headers
Just click and drag to sort or resize the header fields in the following dialog boxes (Resize is available where the header contains text rather than icons). Favorites Story Settings Add-On Manager Choose HotLink Xref Management DXF-DWG Translation Setup Library Part Editor Project Info Update Zones

See Section Marker Panel in ArchiCAD Help.

Reveal Options for Doors/Windows

An expanded set of options for defining Door/Window Reveals is now available in Door/Window Settings. For standard library parts, these are listed in graphical form in the Custom Settings panel of Door/Window Settings.

Navigation in Object Settings Dialog Box

In Object Settings, if you select an object from the browser area, that objects settings appear on the right-hand side of the dialog box.
ArchiCAD 12 New Features List

In addition, you can create a new solid fill type with any translucence value you wish: click New, and choose Solid fill from the Add New Fill dialog box. See Defining Fill Types in ArchiCAD Help.

Image Fills
The Image fill lets you use images as the foreground part of Drafting fills.

The original Reveal Method options are still available on the Reveal panel for those doors and windows that are not part of the standard library or dont use the new set of reveal options.

Fill Enhancements
ArchiCAD now offers additional variations for creating and applying fills.

New Fill Type Names

Fill types listed in the Fill pop-ups are grouped under new names: Solid Fills include: the Foreground Fill (formerly Solid): You see only the Foreground, because it covers up the Background. the Background fill (formerly Empty): You see only the Background, because the Foreground is set to zero. Three fills whose foregrounds are of predefined Translucence (25%, 50%, 75%). By default, ArchiCAD 12 provides two Image fills as Attributes, but you can define your own. See Image Fills in ArchiCAD Help.

Better Zone Fill Representation

The Options for Fills and Zones panel of Model View Options is now called Override Fill Display. By default, all types of fills use the settings defined at the element level (formerly called As in Settings). In ArchiCAD 12, to set a different global display preference for any type of fill, you must check
ArchiCAD 12 New Features List

These percentages can be adjusted by hand in Options > Element Attributes > Fill Types:

the Override button in the Model View Options Override Fill Display panel. See Model View Options Override Fill Display in ArchiCAD Help.

New Fill Types for GDL Objects

Apply a Gradient or translucent fill to GDL objects.

PMK File Format

As of ArchiCAD 12, the PMK format is available for saving views in the Publisher. This is a native ArchiCAD drawing format which takes up relatively less hard drive space than many other formats. Saving views in PMK format can be a good workflow if your project is divided among multiple files (e.g. Model pln and Documentation pln), with several team members working through a network. See Larger Projects in Layouting Workflow Schemes in ArchiCAD Help.

Pet Palettes for Dimension Editing

For selected dimension lines, pet palettes are now available with editing commands.

Improved Dimensioning Input Logic

Improved dimensioning input logic makes it easy to visualize dimension lines and adjust dimension points on the fly. The Any Direction input method enables you to choose from several logical possibilities for placing the dimension line, including placing it parallel to any existing line or edge. See Linear Dimensions in ArchiCAD Help.

DWG Element Conversion Improvements

ACIS Import
A new function allows you to convert AutoCAD 3D Solids, Regions and Bodies into GDL Objects. Opening or merging such objects brings up a Browse dialog box, where you choose the folder to which to save the GDL objects you will create.

Dimensions in the 3D Document Window

In the 3D Document Window, an addition input method lets you dimension along any chosen plane. See Linear Dimensions in the 3D Document Window in ArchiCAD Help.

Fill-Hatch Conversion Table

Set up fill conversion table in DXF-DWG Translation Dialog Box to map ArchiCAD fills to AutoCAD hatches (analogous to Font-Style Conversion). See Fills in ArchiCAD Help.

ArchiCAD 12 New Features List

Attribute Purge
When saving an ArchiCAD file as DWG, only those ArchiCAD attributes will be included which are actually used in the project. This is an automatic process, reducing file size. You can opt to purge further attributes: a new checkbox in DXF-DWG Translation Settings (Miscellaneous) enables you to purge all unused attributes that originate in the DWG template file.

Layout book: - Algorithm change makes working on large layouts significantly faster, due to faster rebuild speed while navigating. - On-screen Preview options let you choose the level of precision of on-screen display of drawings.

See On-Screen Preview in ArchiCAD Help. With large Layout Books, your choice here can affect navigation speed significantly: Full Precision (drawing shown with full details, always rebuilt) Quick Preview (faster navigation; Drawing rebuilt only upon explicit Rebuild of the Layout, or when a Drawing update occurs) No Preview (fastest navigation).

LTScale
The LTScale variable used in DWG files will now be correctly interpreted when opening or merging DWG files in ArchiCAD. New line types will be created as needed, regardless of the length of the original line pattern.

Saving Layout Content to DWG Format

When ArchiCAD Layouts are saved to Paper Space in DWG format, the content of every Drawing in the AC project is transferred into the DWG Model Space, regardless of the drawings status and source. Even the content of external Drawings and internal-source Drawings which are not in updated condition is transferred to Model Space, because this content is now assigned to layers in DWG Model Space. This works if the DXF/DWG Translator Settings for Save Layout Into are set to either Paper Space with Cropped Views Content or Paper Space with Full Views Content.

Multi-Page Layouts for Schedules and Indexes

An Interactive Schedule or Project Index placed as a Drawing can be automatically converted so that it is split up among multiple Layouts to ensure output of the entire Schedule/Index content. See Split Schedule into Multiple Layouts in ArchiCAD Help.

Performance
Multi-core processor support. With ArchiCAD 12, multi-core processors becomes the recommended and standard platform for higher performance computing. Areas that will see noticeable improvement include navigation and 3D model generation including sections and shadow casting. Image and fill handling. New technology allows for significant increases in performance in working with bitmap images and large fills in the design phase and during the generation of the document set layouts. PDF generation is also improved.

Grid Tool
The Grid Tool allows you to place Grid elements individually or in a Grid System. The Grid Tool creates a custom local Grid whose elements are part of the model and serve as an editable framework for placing multiple elements or for identifying locations in the model. See The Grid Tool in ArchiCAD Help. Note: The Grid Tool was included in some localized earlier versions of ArchiCAD; as of ArchiCAD 12, it is now a standard part of the package.
ArchiCAD 12 New Features List

Improved Hotlink Management

One-step update of Hotlinked Modules which include Nested modules (Nested Modules updated from own source files, so that you dont have to open the hotlinks with nested modules separately to update them). Comprehensive user interface provides clear overview of Module instances and hierarchy; allows you to open separate ArchiCAD with the source file from the Hotlink Manager. Improved performance, smaller file size when placing multiple instances of a single module

Label Enhancements
Label tool has new Label Type: Label Members (currently for Curtain Wall only, in Section window only) Optionally hide Label Arrowhead depending on window scale New Label Pointer type: Pointer with underlined text See Placing Member Labels on Curtain Walls in ArchiCAD Help. See Label Pointer Panel in ArchiCAD Help. See Label Pointer Panel in ArchiCAD Help.

ArchiCAD 12 New Features List

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ArchiCAD 12 New Features List