Product Reviews

ArchiCAD 6.0, due or release this month, is a significant upgrade to the most comprehensive integrated architectural visualisation and production tool on the Mac. This release has many productivity enhancements, including powerful 3D editing in a 3D environment.

Version 6.0 offers many improvements which comprehensively cover the whole spectrum of architectural practice. They include a multitude of 2D drafting tools, ellipse, offset, Bring to Front/Send to Back, the ability to explode 3D symbols into editable 2D lines or fills, and an extensive range of snaps and construction methods. This release also sees the debut of a Group tool, increased access to numeric data, and improved database links. Many of these features were first introduced in a special release of version 5.0, called ArchiCAD for Teamwork, which allows workgroups to be set up, with access to controlled workspaces amended on the fly. Version 6.0 sees Teamwork become the standard.

Arguably the most far-reaching change is the ability to create, manipulate and navigate directly in the 3D window. This requires several interface innovations to make working in perspective or axonometric productive as a design tool. The new 3D Navigation palette has been introduced to manage the complex process of direct manipulation in 3D.

Through a neat implementation of QuickDraw 3D, you can switch between perspective or axonometric motion and navigation, rotating the objects or moving about them. Usefully, you can edit a view in this window and dynamically add a camera to an animation path. More significantly, you can switch to the Edit/Create mode on the palette, and all 3D creation tools and most of the editing tools remain available on the standard toolbar or via the usual shortcuts, including the pop-up context-sensitive cursor palette (ctrl-click).

The 3D interface innovations - including creation of working planes, user origin, selection, and so on - have been achieved while retaining the logic and simplicity of earlier versions. The enhancement to modelling as a design tool that this represents can't be

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underestimated.

Both universality and localisation are at the heart of many of the changes, including the modified keyboard shortcuts (version 6.0 introduces an 'international' standard as a default). However, you still have the option of reverting to commands from previous versions - in fact, full customisation of key and menu commands is now available.

On the one hand, the product continues its commitment to the International Alliance for Interoperability's emerging file transfer standard, IFC (Industry Foundation Classes), which allows for the transfer of intelligent 3D building and modelling data between different applications. On the other, as part of Graphisoft's localisation programme (in 22 countries), the UK version will ship with a UK construction industry-specific library, containing over 1000 detailed assemblies and parametric components.

While many see ArchiCAD as a visualisation tool, it offers much more. The productivity tools have been thoroughly overhauled; this is exemplified in the excellent restructuring of the Calculate menu which allows you to define and view numeric data and descriptive information about your project.

Some critics claim ArchiCAD is inflexible as a modeller, although beyond the standard tools and the parametric 3D library, further modelling capability has always been there via GDL, the powerful 3D scripting language. With each incarnation the standard toolset of Wall, Slab, Column and Roof has been refined and improved. The Wall now allows for non-parallel (trapezoid) faces and a polygon geometry method, with similar behaviour to the Slab and Roof, which include Boolean union and difference. Roof planes will cut objects and slabs as well as Wall and Column tops and bases.

GDL is enhanced through new routines and an overhaul of the scripting interface. Its look and feel is consistent with the revisions to the Calculation Settings dialog boxes, with the addition of a useful debugger. The Text menu has been consolidated and sensibly relocated under the Edit menu, and has greatly improved text-editing functionality for scripting. GDL remains both esoteric to the new user and an essential power tool, but it would have been nice to see a more visual interface. Improvements to modelling capabilities aren't confined to existing tools and scripts. More powerful and graphic object-creation tools are included: the Mesh tool, for instance, allows for creation of freeform meshes with the familiarity of the Slab or Wall tool.

With ArchiCAD 6.0 Graphisoft has taken the next step in the development of a totally integrated, fully 3D, object-based architectural design, visualisation and production tool.