Archicad 10
Platforms
Archicad 10 is available for Windows , Mac OS X (PowerPC), Mac OS X (Intel) operating systems
License types
Unlike with previous Archicad releases, there is no separate EDU (or DEMO) version. License type can be chosen upon installation:
COM license
Archicad starts as a full featured commercial version only if a Hardware Protection key is accessible and there are free licenses on it. Depending on the content of the protection key, the license can be permanent, time limited (Pay Per Use) or Not for Resale.
DEMO license
Program switches to Demo mode if Hardware Protection cannot be accessed or there is no free license available. Save, Copy, TeamWork functions are disabled (unlike in previous versions, printing is enabled).
EDU licenses
The student (STU) and university (UNIV) version of Archicad have been combined, so there is only one educational (EDU) version.
Student license registration process
Student versions can be installed only with a serial number which can be obtained at https://eduregistration.graphisoft.com . This registration process has two steps. As a result of the first step, you will receive your personal temporary serial number and a download link to Archicad 10. The process at this level is completely automatic, so you will receive your serial number and the link immediately after you register. This temporary serial number will give you 30-days usage.
At the end of the second step you will receive your personal final serial number that allows you to run Archicad for one year (can be renewed free of charge after expiration). This part of the process involves an “approval” stage, which will be handled by Graphisoft's local representative.
University license
There are separate Student (STU) and University (UNIV) serial numbers, which affect only the Installer. The difference is an install option for universities which allows multiple ArchiCADs to be installed remotely from one central computer. One University Serial Number will allow an unlimited number of installs for the school / university and expires after two years. University license can be obtained from Graphisoft's local representatives.
File formats
EDU and commercial project files will have the same file format ( .PLN ), but EDU files have an irremovable logo at the top right corner. This logo will be present on all printouts. Because the new EDU file format is the same as the full, the Archicad 10 EDU version are NOT compatible with the previous educational versions and does NOT read (˛ .PNE , .PAE ...) files created with earlier educational versions.
Compatibility issues
EDU project files can be opened with a commercial version of Archicad. In this case, Archicad switches to EDU mode. The logo cannot be removed. Commercial project files can be opened with an EDU version of Archicad. In this case the logo is added, and cannot be removed later. Besides 'Open', no other data exchange (copy, paste, merge, hotlink…) is allowed between EDU and commercial project files.
Localized versions
Currently released versions ordered by release date (as of 2006.09.01):
| Code | Market |
| INT | International |
| USA | United States |
| GER | Germany |
| NZE | New Zealand |
| AUS | Australia |
| FRA | France |
| ITA | Italy |
| FIN | Finnland |
| SWE | Sweden |
| HUN | Hungary |
| AUT | Austria |
| CZE | Czech Republic |
| TUR | Turkey |
| JPN | Japan |
| NOR | Norway |
| POL | Poland |
Build numbers
Every ARCHICAD release have a build number, which can be checked choosing the About Archicad option, thus opening the initial splash screen. The below example belongs to a version with build number 943 (which is a release candidate of the Archicad 10 MacTel version)
Different localized versions might have different build numbers. This reflects the changes of the Archicad codebase between the release date of each localization.
Hotfixes
Graphisoft regularly releases hotfixes, which can be accessible using the "Check for Updates" option in the Help menu. This command will open a web page where the system determines whether your Archicad version is up-to-date or not. If your build number is lower than the build number of the latest issued Archicad Update Patch, the web page will display a link where the newest Patch can be downloaded from:
If there is no patch applicable, the website displays the following details:
ARCHICAD 10 New Features Overview
| Modeling Freedom | |
| Slanted walls, columns and beams | Walls can be slanted and double-slanted (battered), columns and beams can be inclined. |
| Cross-section profiles for walls, beams and columns | Custom profiles can be defined with the help of the "Profile Manager". It is possible to create any profile shape with the fill tool. Components of the profile can have different attributes (material, priority). |
| Enhanced intersection in 3D on solid basis | Walls intersections now affect the 3D wall shape only in the common vertical range of the two walls. Complex walls and beams intersect with each other properly, on a solid 3D basis. |
| Door and window vertical anchor | Doors and windows can be anchored in various ways: to wall or story, by sill height or header. |
| Door and window fit to slanted and complex wall surfaces | Doors and windows can be vertical or aligned, with the opening geometry of a complex wall. |
| Doors and windows in polygonal walls | Doors/windows can be placed and freely dragged, mirrored and rotated within polygonal walls. |
| 3D zones fit to complex element geometry | 3D zones fit to slanted and profiled wall surfaces. Trimming 3D zones by slabs and roofs is now based on solid element operation technology. |
| Complex, multi-story elements | Walls, columns, beams, and roofs are automatically shown on all stories they intersect. |
| New floor-plan display options for construction elements | The following display options have been added: Projected, Projected with overhead, and Cut only. |
| Priority-based dynamic wall–wall intersection on floor-plan | Intersection priority can be assigned to wall elements or individual wall skins/ components. Wall skins and wall elements intersect with each other, based on their intersection priority. |
| Reshaping elements in any view | All basic editing commands and new commands specific to complex elements uniformly work in floor-plan, section/elevation and 3D views. |
| Moving wall openings | Doors and windows can be dragged from one wall into another on the same plane, and they can be edited with other element types. |
| Integrated design and documentation workflow | |
| Integrated layouting | Layouting functions of PlotMaker are now integrated into Archicad 10. |
| Identical editing methods and environment | Identical interface and feature set for design and documentation: infobox, pet palette, area-based selection, parametric GDL, etc. |
| Extended navigator | Two new Navigator Panels: Layout Book and Publisher sets. Navigator also includes structure of linked external Project files. |
| Project organizer | An organizing tool to easily set up View Sets, Layout books and Publisher-sets by moving elements between Navigator-like panels. |
| Drag and drop Navigator items | Move or duplicate Navigator items in the tree and between Navigator panels. |
| Drawing manager | Updated drawing management with customizable content, interface and drawing-level status-checking. |
| Drawing tool | New tool box tool dedicated to placing and modifying drawings. Drawing settings also appear in the Infobox. |
| Parametric drawing titles | Parametric (GDL) associative titles can be placed with drawings automatically in Archicad 10. |
| Direct drawing referencing from S/E and detail markers | Section and detail markers can now be linked directly to views/drawings. |
| PDF drawings in Archicad projects | Import pages from PDF documents as drawings into layout sheets, or even into the model. |
| Interactive element schedule | Fully integrated Interactive schedules have become WYSIWYG tabular model views. New schedule drawings can be placed to layout as any other model drawings. Any change in the values is immediate and irreversible. |
| Project indices | View, drawing and layout indices can be defined and placed in a similar manner to Interactive Element Schedules. Alphanumeric values - like drawing names - can be changed from within the index. |
| Teamworked documenting | Teamworking mechanism is extended to the documentation process. Layouts are now part of one's workspace, similar to stories or layers. |
| Scalable project setup | Multiple project files can be managed in the Navigator/ Organizer. Views of other project files can be placed as drawings on the current file's layout, or whole layouts/masters can be imported. |
| Named pen sets | Any number of pen sets can be defined. Model views and layouts use two separate pen sets, while drawings can each use separate pen sets. |
| Autotext features | Autotext entries indicate global project, system, layout book information in an automated way. |
| Separate on-screen and model view options | View options that concern on-screen interactions are separated from model view options that pertain directly to a specific view or layout. |
| Distorted and gradient fills | Distorted instances of a vectorial fill can be applied to individual elements. Roofs automatically appear with appropriately distorted fills on the Floor Plan; bi-color linear and radial gradient fill. |
| Consistent printing and plotting | Header/footer; marquee area printing, hi-res large format printing, hairline printing. |
| Publishing enhancements | Concurrent publishing of complete Layouts and individual Model Views; Dynamic Indexes – generated on-the-fly. |
| Interactions | |
| XP style | Every button, pop-up menu or control will look and behave according to Windows XP standards. |
| Enhanced pop-ups | Improved fill-selection and pen-selection pop-up menus. Fills and pens appear with names. A scroll-bar and a preview are included inside the pop-up menu. |
| Integrated context-sensitive help system | Press the right mouse button at any location on your Archicad screen and choose “What’s this?” or “Help” to jump to the relevant section of the Help option. |
| Reveal hidden features | Eyedropper, Syringe, Trim and Adjust tools are accessible from the menu; they can be placed on any toolbar. |
| Work environment re-design | The primary default work environment - including palette layout, menu structure and toolbars - has been re-organized. |
| Company standard scheme | The work environment separates company standards from individual user preferences. |
| Floor-plan and section attributes on the UI | The redesigned floor-plan and section display attributes of construction elements are available from one panel on the info box or the tool settings dialog, using a single interface. |
| Pre-selection | As the mouse moves over an element, the element will be highlighted, and an info tag will show relevant information to ease the identification of that element. |
| Highlight selected elements | The selected element's color changes temporarily to a user-defined uniform highlight color. |
| Guide-lines | Guide-lines will appear automatically when the user pauses the mouse over an element’s edge or point, to help find directions, angles and special geometry locations. |
| Element snap | Any point or edge of the dragged element(s) snap to any other points or edges of the project’s elements. |
| Tracker | During any graphical operation, the Tracker follows the cursor and provides information about its position. The Tracker also provides an in-place numeric input option. |
| 3D navigation | "Orbit mode" for concurrent navigation and editing. "Explore mode" for game-like walk-arounds. |
| Shaded section/elevations | Shaded section/elevation with surfaces using material's colors. |
| Story levels in section | Story levels can be graphically edited in section windows through story level markers. |
| Miscellaneous | |
| Project file compression | Option for compressing Archicad files when they are saved. |
| Library container files | New, optimized file format (.lcf) for library part storage. |
| Archicad – DWG translation | Model views and the layouts are converted into real model space and paper space in a single operation; BYLAYER-compliant export method. |