Even though ARCHICAD 19 is faster than ever, performance related issues can come from various causes. Most of these issues can be due to the insufficient Software/Hardware availability or the way how the project is created in ARCHICAD. Depending on the nature of the issue you experience check the categories below. For generic issues, please see this article

Opening Section/Elevation gets slow or seems to freeze

• Issue:

If the Report Window gets opened from time to time (e.g. because of missing GDL macros), it is possible that you will experience freeze or slowdown at opening Section/Elevation views.

• Cause:

The Report Window opening process slows ARCHICAD down a little bit. The more content the Report Window has and the more frequent it comes up, the slower ARCHICAD will be.

• Solution:

To workaround this situation we advise to delete the content of the Report Window regularly or to eliminate the problems that are reported there (e.g. to replace the missing GDL macros).
note: This problem will be fixed in a future version of ARCHICAD.

2D pan and zoom gets slow and laggy when a 3D cut plane is active

• Issue:

If you place a 3D cut plane in the model, pan and zoom gets slow and laggy in 2D views.

• Cause:

3D cut planes are projected on 2D views for better navigation. Thus, when a 3D cut plane is active, ARCHICAD will try to refresh the 2D projection constantly, as you move around in the 2D view. As a result, if you have a big or complex model, this refresh may cause a lag in navigation.

• Solution:

Turn the 3D cut plane off, while you’re in a 2D View.

 note: Fixed in ARCHICAD 19 Update Build 4011.

Architects who cooperate with colleagues working on a different platform than they work on can sometimes experince the problem of missing fonts.

Let’s see what you need to do to overcome this issue.

The file named XreadCfg.txt that is located in the Add-Ons folder of ARCHICAD can be used for replacing missing fonts independently from what platform they originate from. (Missing fonts appear in square brackets in the list of fonts in ARCHICAD.) This is how you need to edit this file:

The name of the missing font needs to be entered in the column of the opposit platform (even if the plan file originates from the same platform).

For example: on Windows you want to replace the font named “MissingFontName” by “Tahoma”. This is what you need to insert in XreadCfg.txt:

If you want “Genova” on Mac, then:

Please pay special attention to the exact input of font names. Font names have to be identical with the form they appear with in the Font Menu of ARCHICAD (lower or upper case characters).

If the missing font used a special character set (e.g. Eastern European), then you have to refer to it in the column of the character set (charset), e.g. Eastern European: 238.

Please find these values in XReadCfg.txt under “! Available character sets on Windows and Macintosh platforms”:

! Available character sets on Windows and Macintosh platforms

! ———————————————————–

! 0      = Western European                      (ANSI_CHARSET)

! 128  = Japanese                                     (SHIFTJIS_CHARSET)

! 129  = Korean                                       (HANGEUL_CHARSET)

! 134  = Chinese [PRC, Singapore]       (GB2312_CHARSET)

! 136  = Chinese [Taiwan, Hong Kong]    (CHINESEBIG5_CHARSET)

! 177  = Hebrew                                       (HEBREW_CHARSET)

! 178  = Arabic                                       (ARABIC_CHARSET)

! 161  = Greek                                              (GREEK_CHARSET)

! 162  = Turkish                                      (TURKISH_CHARSET)

! 222  = Thai                                         (THAI_CHARSET)

! 238  = Eastern European                      (EASTEUROPE_CHARSET)

! 204  = Russian                                      (RUSSIAN_CHARSET)

The values you have to enter under column „CONVTABLE” can be found in the file XReadCfg.txt under

“! Available conversion table IDs”:

! Available conversion table IDs

! ——————————

! 0   = Western European

! 1   = Japanese

! 2   = Traditional Chinese

! 3   = Korean

! 4   = Arabic

! 5   = Hebrew

! 6   = Greek

! 7   = Russian

! 21   = Thai

! 25   = Simplified Chinese

! 29   = Central European

A few more things to pay attention to:

• Having done the necessary modifications, please save the file using ANSI coding on Windows and Western (Mac Roman) on Macintosh.
• The file XReadCfg.txt has to be edited before starting ARCHICAD.
• Now you can replace Eastern European character sets with Western European character sets as well, so the replacement became easier.
• In the lines of FONTPAIRs parameters have to be separated by commas.
• Please use the type of quotation marks shown on the image below:

ArchiCAD formats

.PLN	Solo Project file					File compatibility list
.PLA	Archive					Includes all library parts, linked images and textures; File compatibility list
.BIMX	BIMx format	–		–		For details, see BIMx
.BPN	Backup Project file					Allows to recover the last saved version of a damaged file
.PLP	ArchiCAD Teamwork (AC12 and earlier)					To open it, use the Open Project command
.PLC	ArchiCAD Teamwork (AC12 and earlier)					To open it, use the Open Project command
.PCA	ArchiCAD Teamwork (AC12 and earlier)					To open it, use the Open Project command
.BPC	ArchiCAD Teamwork (AC12 and earlier)					To open it, use the Open Project command
.DB	Teamwork BIM Server Database File
.TWPACKAGE	BIM Server Import/Export Format					ArchiCAD 13 BIM Server import/export format
.BIMPROJECT	BIM Server Import/Export Format					ArchiCAD 14 and higher version BIM Server import/export format
.TWTRAVEL	Travel Package
.BACKUP	BIM Server Backup
.TPL	ArchiCAD Project Template					For details, see TemplateFiles
.2DL	ArchiCAD 2D Lines				–	Can be saved from 3D window (Internal Engine only)
.MOD	Module File					For details, see HotlinkedModules
.LBK	PlotMaker Layoutbook		–		–	For details, see PlotMaker
.PMK	PlotMaker Drawing		–		–	For details, see PlotMaker
.MDE	ArchiCAD Education Version Module file	–	–			This file format is no longer supported
.STB	Plot Style Table file	–	–		–	This file format is not supported
.LCF	ArchiCAD Library Container File					For details, see LibraryManagement
.GSM	ArchiCAD Library Object					For details, see LibraryManagement
.DOR	ArchiCAD Library Object					For details, see LibraryManagement
.WIN	ArchiCAD Library Object					For details, see LibraryManagement
.LMP	ArchiCAD Library Object					For details, see LibraryManagement
.RSM	ArchiCAD Library Object					For details, see LibraryManagement
.LSM	ArchiCAD Library Object					For details, see LibraryManagement
.ISM	ArchiCAD Library Object					For details, see LibraryManagement
.ESM	ArchiCAD Library Object					For details, see LibraryManagement
.GPS	ArchiCAD Library Object					For details, see LibraryManagement

BIM formats

.IFC	Industry Foundation Classes File					For details, see IFC
.IFCXML	Industry Foundation Classes XML					For details, see Differences in IFC formats
.IFCZIP	Industry Foundation Classes ZIP					For details, see Differences in IFC formats
.NWC	Naviswork model file	–		–		Exports whole-project models for simulation and analysis in Naviswork®. Add-On available from AutoDesk
.SMC	Solibri Model Checker	–		–		Exports whole-project models to Solibri Model Checker. For details, see ArchiCAD and Solibri Model Checker
.BCF	BIM Collaboration Format				–	BCF can add comments, screenshots, camera position and 3D cutting planes to IFC models (e.g. collision detection). For details, see: BCF

CAD formats

.DXF	Drawing Exchange Format				–	For details, see DWG/DXF-DWGTranslator
.DWG	Drawing Database File					For details, see DWG
.DGN	MicroStation Design File	*			–	Importing DGN file format to ArchiCAD is ended to support in ArchiCAD 15, the last importable version of MicroStation DGN files is v7 (back in 2001). If you may not have MicroStation, DGN v8 files can be converted to DWG with conversion softwares.

Vector Graphics

.DWF	Drawing Web Format				–	Up to v5.5 – 2D content
.PDF	Portable Document Format file				–	For details, see PDF; Photo Rendering can be also saved to this format
.EPS	Encapsulated PostScript file	–	–	–	–	Since version 10, ArchiCAD no longer supports .EPS format.
.PLT	ArchiCAD Plotter file	–	–	–	–	For details, see PlotMaker

Image Formats

.BMP	Bitmap Image Format				–	Photo Rendering, Fly-Through and SunStudy can be also saved to this format
.DIB	Device Independent Bitmap File		–		–
.RLE	Run Length Encoded Bitmap		–		–
.JPEG	Joint Photographic Experts Group				–	Photo Rendering, Fly-Through and SunStudy can be also saved to this format
.JPG	Joint Photographic Experts Group		–		–
.JPE	Joint Photographic Experts Group		–		–
.GIF	Graphics Interchange Format				–	Photo Rendering, Fly-Through and SunStudy can be also saved to this format
.TIFF	Tagged Image File				–	Photo Rendering, Fly-Through and SunStudy can be also saved to this format
.TIF	Tagged Image File				–
.PNG	Portable Network Graphics				–	Photo Rendering, Fly-Through and SunStudy can be also saved to this format
.JFIF	JPEG File Interchange Format		–		–
.ICO	Windows Icon File		–		–
.PCT	Picture File		–		–
.JP2	JPEG 2000 Image		–		–
.LWI	Light Work Image		–		–
.HDR	High Dinamic Range image		–		–	Can be linked into ARCHICAD as Drawing
.EXIF	Exchangeable Image File Format		–		–	Can be linked into ARCHICAD as Drawing

Model/3D Formats

.GDL	Geometric Description Language			–		For details, see GDL
.GSM	Geometric Description Language			–		For details, see GDL
.ATL	Artlantis File	–		–		Artlantis export plug-ins are installed by default. New versions and updated plug-ins need to be installed separately.
.3DS	3D Studio Scene	*		–		For details, see 3DStudio; Fly-Through and SunStudy can be also saved to this format
.C4D	Cinema 4D File	*	*	–		For details, see Cinema4D
	Maxwell Render plug-in	–		–		Maxwell Render plug-ins can be downloaded here
.KMZ	Zipped .kml files			–		For details, see GoogleEarthConnections
.KML	Keyhole Markup Language			–		For details, see GoogleEarthConnections
.SKP	SketchUp Document			–		For details, see GoogleEarthConnections
.OBJ	WaveFront File	–		–
.3DM	Rhinoceros 3D File					For additional details, see Rhinoceros 3D
.FACT	ElectricImage File	–		–		Fly-Through and SunStudy can be also saved to this format
.VRL	VRML Virtual World File	–		–		Fly-Through and SunStudy can be also saved to this format
.LP	Lightscape Preparation File	–		–
.U3D	Universal 3D file	–			*	For details, see U3D
.STL	STereoLithography			–		Native STL converter in ArchiCAD 17: StlFor3dPrinting

Other Formats

.PLT	HPGL Plot File	–			–
.EMF	Enhanced Windows Metafile				–
.WMF	Windows Metafile				–
.XYZ	Graph Coordinates		–		*	XYZ data can be loaded to ArchiCAD as a 3d model: Design menu > Place Mesh from Surveyors Data…
.XYZ	Point Cloud file		–			The Point Cloud XYZ file format have 6 data (3 coordinates and 3 RGB data).
.E57	Point Cloud file		–			.e57 files can be imported to ARCHICAD to display Point Clouds in floor plan/sections/elevations/3D.
.PRN	Printer file	–	–		–
.RPT	Crash Report File	–	–	–	–	For details, see Bug reporter
.REP	Bug Reporter Format	–	–	–	–	For details, see Bug reporter
.SUPPORT	Solo Project Support Package	–	–	–	–	For details, see Support Package
.TWSUPPORT	Teamwork Support Package	–	–	–	–	For details, see Support Package
.SHX	AutoCAD Compiled Shape file	*	–		–	Used for displaying custom texts of DWG files
.STL	Stereolithography CAD file	–	–	–	*	VRML 3D file format that can be converted to STL file format using a converter application, e.g. http://web.axelero.hu/karpo/.
.DOC	Word Document	–			–	Interactive Schedules and Lists can be saved to this file format.
.XLS	Excel Worksheet				–	Interactive Schedules, Lists, Energy Performance Reports can be saved to this file format. ‘Mass property value import’ functionality is a semi-automated way to importdata  from an Excel worksheet into Interactive Schedules.
.TXT	Text File				–	TXT data can be loaded to ArchiCAD as a 3d model: Design menu > Place Mesh from Surveyors Data…Interactive Schedules and Lists can be saved to this file format.
.MOV	Quick Time Movie	–			–	Fly-Through and SunStudy can be saved to this format
.AVI	Video Movie File	–			–	Fly-Through and SunStudy can be saved to this format
.LIC	Binary List Criteria		–		–	Can be added to ArchiCAD as a library part in Library Manager
.LIS	List Setup File		–		–	Can be added to ArchiCAD as a library part in Library Manager
.PHPP	Passive House Planning Package	–			–	PHPP is the official Excel workbook created by the Darmstadt Passivhaus Institute, to calculate the energy demands of Passivhouse projects.
.GbXML	Green Building XML	–			–	The industry standard Green Building XML format (gbXML) is recognized by several energy analysis applications such as Green Building Studio, Ecotect or IES

GRAPHISOFT products are supported on Pro and Enterprise editions and are compatible with Home and Educational editions.

ArchiCAD 11-16 on Windows Vista

ArchiCAD 11-16 versions are fully compatible with Windows Vista on both 32 and 64-bit systems.

ArchiCAD 17 and newer

ARCHICAD 20 cannot be installed to Windows Vista.
ArchiCAD 17 and newer versions are not supported on Windows Vista. This means that you can run ArchiCAD on such systems, but operating system specific issues may appear.

Previous Versions of ArchiCAD on Windows Vista

In these collections we have listed some platform considerations.
Please note, that GRAPHISOFT does not provide technical support for these releases.

ArchiCAD 10

Graphisoft Shell Extensions incompatible with Vista **

• Problem: ArchiCAD 10 enters “not responding” state during file operations such as “Save”, “Save as” or “Sign-in”.Solution: Uninstall ALL versions of ArchiCAD completely. Perform a custom install of ArchiCAD leaving out Graphisoft Shell Extensions.

Dialog refresh problems with Vista Aero Color scheme

• Problem: Moving dialogs will erase underlying screen objects.Solution: Right Click on desktop choose Personalize then Window Color and Appearance, change color scheme from Windows Aero to something else such as Windows Vista Basic.

Not possible to publish to PDF

• Problem: Amyuni driver for ArchiCAD is not available for Vista.Solution: You need to use a Vista-compatible PDF creator, such as cutePDF or doPDF. An updated version of the Amyuni PDF converter can be purchased at amyuni.com. If the new version of Amyuni is installed, the “save as PDF” function will be available in ArchiCAD 10.

ArchiCAD will only run in demo mode

• Problem: Wibu driver included with the install CD is not compatible with Vista.Solution: Wibu Version 5.2 must be downloaded separately from http://www.wibu.com/ and installed.

Context menus are occasionally wrong

• Problem: The first right click does not bring up the expected context menu.Solution: Try right clicking a few times and the expected context menu will come up.

Frequent crashes

• Problem: The most likely cause is a hardware driver not fully compatible with Windows VistaSolution: Follow steps detailed in the crash article. Uninstall your video card driver, and let Windows use its built-in Video card driver.

** An indication that un-installing the Graphisoft Shell extension was not successful would be the re-appearance of a previously deleted \HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Graphisoft\Graphisoft Shell Extension key after launching ArchiCAD.

ArchiCAD 9

Will not install

• Problem: ArchiCAD will not install correctly.Solution: Uninstall Java. Re-install java that came with ArchiCAD 9. Perform a custom install of ArchiCAD which excludes Graphisoft Shell Extensions from both the ArchiCAD and the Plotmaker install. Remove Wibu installation that ArchiCAD 9 performs. You may have to uninstall and re-install Wibu 5.2 if you have already done this.

Program Compatibility Assistant

• Problem: Cannot start ArchiCAD 9 without the Program Compatibility Assistant dialog showingSolution: None.

Warning Dialogs May Disappear

• Problem: Warning dialogs display and shortly afterwards are overwrittenSolution: None.

Dialogs May be blank

• Problem: An application covers an opening dialog. Once the application is moved the ArchiCAD or Plotmaker dialog is blank.Solution: Move blank dialog almost off the screen and back. The contents will be refreshed.

Frequent crashes

• Problem: The most likely cause is a hardware driver not fully compatible with Windows VistaSolution: Follow steps detailed in the crash article. Uninstall your video card driver, and let Windows use its built-in Video card driver.

Compatible versions

Supported versions:

• GRAPHISOFT is maintaining compatibility for ArchiCAD 15, 16, 17 and 18 and connected products (BIMcloud, BIMx, BIM Server, BIM Server Manager) on OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion.

Compatible, but not supported versions:

• ARCHICAD 19 can be run on Mountain Lion but it was designed to work correctly with newer versions of the Mac OS X.
• ArchiCAD 10-14 versions can be run on Mountain Lion, though these were designed to work with older versions of the operating system. As a result of this there is no official support for operating system specific problems.

Incompatible versions:

• ARCHICAD 20 is not compatible with Mountain Lion (cannot be installed).
• ArchiCAD 9 and older versions cannot be run on Mountain Lion.The Rosetta environment that allowed to run programs that were designed for the PowerPC processors was discontinued in OS X 10.7 Lion. As a consequence, ArchiCAD10 will be the oldest version running on OS 10.8 Mountain Lion and files created with ArchiCAD 6.0 or older will not open on OS 10.8. PlotFlow, which is also a PPC application, won’t work either (it is no longer part of the ArchiCAD package from AC15).

Upgrade checklist

• Study this article for any known issues, difficulties
• Back up all of your ArchiCAD / BIM Server specific data before upgrading the operating system
• Return all borrowed licenses before upgrading the OS
• Allow yourself enough time for the upgrade, do not upgrade the OS close to a deadline
• Install all current operating system updates and ArchiCAD updates prior to the upgrade
• Upgrade the operating system
• Install all updates for the new system
• Test ArchiCAD and the BIM Server (see BIM Server doesn’t start after migrating to Mountain Lion topic of this article below)

If migrating to a new computer please see Transferring data between computers with Apple’s Migration Assistant topic of this article below.

Startup issues

No WIBU-KEY driver found (501) error message appears after updating to Mountain Lion

To address this problem you need to re-install the Wibu/CodeMeter driver.

• remove your USB key from the computer
• you can find the driver on the ArchiCAD installation DVD or you can download the latest GRAPHISOFT tested version from here.
• run CmInstall.mpkg from the CodeMeter folder of the DVD if you have a silver – CodeMeter key
• run !WKInstall.mpkg from the WIBU folder of the DVD if you have a green – Wibu key
• restart the computer after the installation has finished and replace your USB key

If you use the downloaded version of the driver you will need to change the Gatekeeper settings in order to install it. For details see: #Gatekeeper_-_Security_.26_Privacy

BIM Server doesn’t start after migrating to Mountain Lion

For detailed description how to fix your Bim Server see this article.

Known issues

Java Runtime

Java Runtime is not a default part of the Mountain Lion package. When running the first application that requires Java it can be automatically installed:

• when starting the installation a similar message appears as on the screenshot
• click install in order to start the automatic installation of the Java package
• after it is done pass the dialog by clicking on the OK button, which takes you back to the GRAPHISOFT installer
• proceed with the installation as in usual cases

License upgrades

Java Plug-Ins are by default disabled on OS X versions. The site where license keys can be programmed (new or upgraded license) needs enabled Java Plug-Ins. You can find a complete step-to-step guide here to enable the Plug-Ins.

Gatekeeper – Security & Privacy

Gatekeeper is built in Security option in OS X Mountain Lion that prevents you from running potentially harmful applications. You can access its settings:

• Open System Preferences
• Security & Privacy
• General tab
• Allow applications downloaded from:

There are three available options:

• Mac App Store
• Mac App Store and identified developers
• Anywhere

With those settings you can control which applications are allowed to be installed on the computer. For the current GRAPHISOFT products the default Mac App Store and identified developers is a good choice, but older versions and the protection key drivers may not be installed using this security option.

To allow installation of older packages:

• open the Gatekeeper settings as in the previous steps
• change the setting to Anywhere

After the installation is done you may want to revert this setting to the default state. (Mac App Store and identified developers)

Installer is damaged and can’t be opened

In certain cases OS X will give the following error when you try to mount a GRAPHISOFT provided dmg downloaded from the Internet: <Installer name>.app is damaged and can’t be opened. You should eject the disk image.

This problem can be easily circumvented by setting the Gatekeeper setting to Anywhere as in the previous topic. After that the dmg should mount fine. The installers on the installation DVD are not affected, this issue seems to be related only to downloaded packages.

The uninstaller of the BIM Server gives an error message

This issue has been addressed in the 3rd hotfix for BIM Server for ArchiCAD 15 and in the 7th hotfix for BIM Server for ArchiCAD 14. If you don’t have these updates installed just need to run the uninstaller application again.

Dotted lines are not visible if you are zoomed out in the 2D window

Please note that this issue is fixed in ArchiCAD 16 Hotfix #2 (Build 3270)

Some dotted line types might be invisible if you zoom far from the model. This only affects the display of the lines within ArchiCAD, the lines appear well on prints/PDFs or if you zoom closer.

Hotfix installation fails if you have all goodie Add-Ons installed

Please note that this issue is fixed in ArchiCAD 16 Hotfix #2 (Build 3270)

Applying a hotfix will fail, if you have all 11 goodie Add-Ons (Help menu, ArchiCAD 16 downloads) and the Google Earth Connection package installed. The solution is to uninstall at least one Add-On and apply the hotfix again.

Some national characters are not displayed well during the installation of the BIM Server

Some national characters might be displayed with wrong code page in the dialogs when you install the BIM Server. This does not affect the functionality of the server.

Transferring data between computers with Apple’s Migration Assistant

Warning: Transferring user data to another computer via Apple’s Migration Assistant to another computer with a newer OS X version (i.e. Computer A running OSX Lion 10.7 to Computer B running OS X Mountain Lion 10.8) is not advised and may result in corruption of ArchiCAD and BIM Server software.

The recommendation is that you first back-up your project files and Teamwork data, then uninstall any GRAPHISOFT software from the original computer, perform the Operating System migration, then re-install GRAPHISOFT software on the new computer. Failing to do so may result in you having to fully re-install your operating system on the new computer and install all programs from scratch along with user data.

Apple hardware

• Retina Display compatibility
• How to use Magic Mouse in ArchiCAD
• How to use Magic Trackpad in ArchiCAD

Compatible ArchiCAD versions

Supported versions:

• GRAPHISOFT is maintaining compatibility for ArchiCAD 16, 17, 18 and 19 and connected products (BIMcloud, BIMx, BIM Server, BIM Server Manager) on OS X 10.9 Mavericks. Based on GRAPHISOFT’s first tests ArchiCAD 16, 17  and 18 generally works well on 10.9 with some minor issues that are detailed in this article.

Compatible, but not tested versions:

ARCHICAD 20 version can be run on Mavericks, though it was designed to work with newer versions of the operating system. As a result of this there is no official support for operating system specific problems.

Compatible, but not supported versions:

• ArchiCAD 13-15 version can be run on Mavericks, though these were designed to work with older versions of the operating system. As a result of this there is no official support for operating system specific problems.

Incompatible versions:

• ArchiCAD 12 and older versions cannot be run on Mavericks due to technical limitations.

Upgrade checklist

• Study this article for any known issues, difficulties
• Back up all of your ArchiCAD / BIM Server specific data before upgrading the operating system
  • Export all BIM Server Projects, Users, Roles using BIM Server Manager in case these backups will be needed
• Return all borrowed licenses before upgrading the OS
• Allow yourself enough time for the upgrade, do not upgrade the OS close to a deadline
• Install all current operating system updates and ArchiCAD updates prior to the upgrade
• Upgrade the operating system
• Install all updates for the new system

If migrating to a new computer please see Transferring data between computers with Apple’s Migration Assistant topic of this article below.

Startup issues

ArchiCAD starts in DEMO mode after updating to 10.9

The update removes a necessary plist file from the Library. Because of the removed plist file,  CodeMeter.app was not launched and prevented AC from running in full mode.

The workaround is to uninstall and then reinstall CodeMeter. If a higher version of CodeMeter is installed, the uninstall is not necessary.

ArchiCAD license was not found error message appears after updating to 10.9

ArchiCAD 16 and older versions may give “No WIBU-KEY driver found (501)” error message.

To address this problem you need to re-install the Wibu/CodeMeter driver.

• remove your USB key from the computer
• you can find the driver on the ArchiCAD installation DVD or you can download the latest GRAPHISOFT tested version from here.
• run CmInstall.mpkg from the CodeMeter folder of the DVD if you have a silver – CodeMeter key
• run !WKInstall.mpkg from the WIBU folder of the DVD if you have a green – Wibu key
• restart the computer after the installation has finished and replace your USB key

Mouse and keyboard freezes

A number of users experienced mouse and keyboard freezes. It appears to be that the issue is related to Logitech Control Center. If you experience anything like this, uninstall and then re-install the latest version of Logitech Control Center.

BIM Server doesn’t start after migrating to Mavericks

For detailed description how to fix your Bim Server see this article.

Known issues

App Nap

App nap is a great new feature to help to save precious battery life. Applications that run in the background will be slowed down. There are situations when ArchiCAD works in the background (e.g. drawing update) and you would like to run it on full speed. To disable App nap for ArchiCAD:

• search for the ArchiCAD applications in Finder: ApplicationsGRAPHISOFTArchiCAD 17ArchiCAD.app
• select the app an pull up the context menu, by right click or ctrl click
• select Get Info
• check Prevent App Nap checkbox

App nap should be turned off for BIM Server Manager and BIM Server Control Center because App nap might prevent the server to run smoothly.

Changes in multi-display handling

The handling of multiple displays has been changed. As a result each display has a menu bar and each window will be opened on the display where the corresponding menu item was used.

Windows cannot be divided between more displays. They will be only displayed on one display where the majority of the area is visible.

Spotlight and Quicklook plugins may crash

Spotlight and Quicklook will populate crashlogs to ~/Library/Logs/DiagnosticReports folder each time they are used. As a result Quicklook won’t work, no preview display will be shown for .pln files in Finder.

GRAPHISOFT is actively working on a solution, that will be distributed in upcoming ArchiCAD 16 & 17 hotfixes. None of these cause functional problems for ArchiCAD.

Installer is damaged and can’t be opened

In certain cases OS X will give the following error when you try to mount a GRAPHISOFT provided dmg downloaded from the Internet: <Installer name>.app is damaged and can’t be opened. You should eject the disk image.

This problem can be easily circumvented by setting the Gatekeeper setting to Anywhere. After that the dmg should mount fine. The installers on the installation DVD are not affected, this issue seems to be related only to downloaded packages.

Uninstaller won’t remove dock icons

The uninstaller of ArchiCAD, BIM Server and BIM Server Manager is not able to remove the applications’ dock icons. The dock icons can be manually trashed by dragging them out of the dock.

The installer may appear Not responding in Activity Monitor

During the installation process the installer may wait in Not responding state. Please be patient, the installation will proceed correctly. GRAPHISOFT will update the installer of upcoming versions to avoid this delay.

Palette dragging issues

For details see: Troubleshooting/PaletteDragIssue

Transferring data between computers with Apple’s Migration Assistant

Warning: Transferring user data to another computer via Apple’s Migration Assistant to another computer with a newer OS X version (i.e. Computer A running OSX Mountain Lion 10.8 to Computer B running OS X Mavericks 10.9) is not advised and may result in corruption of ArchiCAD and BIM Server software.

The recommendation is that you first back-up your project files and Teamwork data, then uninstall any GRAPHISOFT software from the original computer, perform the Operating System migration, then re-install GRAPHISOFT software on the new computer. Failing to do so may result in you having to fully re-install your operating system on the new computer and install all programs from scratch along with user data.

Apple hardware

• Retina Display compatibility
• How to use Magic Mouse in ArchiCAD
• How to use Magic Trackpad in ArchiCAD

Compatible ArchiCAD versions

Summary by versions:

• ARCHICAD 20: officially supported
• ARCHICAD 19: officially supported, no major issues, few minor issues
• ArchiCAD 18: officially supported, no major issues, few minor issues
• ArchiCAD 17: officially supported, no major issues, few minor issues
• ArchiCAD 16 and older: major issues, upgrade not recommended
• Start Edition users can consult the ArchiCAD Start Edition article to see which edition of ArchiCAD is their Start Edition based on
  Start Edition 2014: officially supported, few minor issues
• ArchiCAD 18 Solo: INT, UKI, JPN versions officially supported with Update 5011. For the KOR version upgrade is currently not recommended, a compatibility Update package is planned to be released
• ArchiCAD 17 Solo and older: major issues, upgrade not recommended

Supported versions:

GRAPHISOFT is maintaining compatibility for ArchiCAD 17 and 18 and connected products (BIMcloud, BIMx, BIM Server, BIM Server Manager) on OS X 10.10 Yosemite. Based on GRAPHISOFT’s first tests ArchiCAD 17  and 18 generally work well on 10.10 with some issues that are detailed in this article. BIMx desktop users should note, that BIMx cannot be run until the first compatibility update for ArchiCAD. The compatibility update for ArchiCAD 18 has been released.

Not supported versions:

ArchiCAD 13-16 version can run on Yosemite, though these were designed to work well with older versions of the operating system. As a result there is no technical support for operating system specific problems, like the ones explained in this article.

Incompatible versions:

ArchiCAD 12 and older versions cannot run on OS X 10.10 due to technical limitations. (The ArchiCAD 10 file converter package has been updated to work well with OS X 10.9+)

Upgrade checklist

• Study this article for any known issues, difficulties
• Back up all of your ArchiCAD / BIMcloud / BIM Server specific data before upgrading the operating system
  • Export all BIM Server Projects, Users, Roles in case these backups will be needed
  • Make sure that you have a copy (source folder) of all BIMcloud BIM Server libraries
• Allow yourself enough time for the upgrade, do not upgrade the OS close to a deadline
• Install all current operating system updates and ArchiCAD updates prior to the upgrade
• Upload all Software keys to the License Pool
• Return all borrowed licenses
• Please upload the borrowed licences back to the pool before saving with Time Machine.
• Upgrade the operating system
• Install all updates for the new system

If migrating to a new computer please see Transferring data between computers with Apple’s Migration Assistant topic of this article below.

Startup issues

ArchiCAD license was not found error message appears after updating to OS X 10.10

ArchiCAD 18 and older versions may give “ArchiCAD license was not found” error message.

To address this problem you need to re-install the Wibu/CodeMeter driver.

• Remove your USB key from the computer
• Download the CodeMeter or Wibu key driver software from here
• Once downloaded open the DMG file to view its contents
• If you have a sliver CodeMeter key, right-click on CmUninstall.app and click Open. Then click “Remove” and wait for the “Successful” message. Then click Quit.
• Next run CmInstall.mpkg from the CodeMeter folder
• If you have a green – Wibu key, run WKInstall.mpkg from the WIBU folder
• Restart the computer after the installation has finished and re-insert your USB key

BIM Server doesn’t start after migrating to Yosemite

For detailed description how to fix your Bim Server see this article.

Known issues

The CodeMeter driver bundled with ARCHICAD 16-18 cannot be installed on OS X 10.10.3

Affected versions: 18 and older| Severity: workaround applicable

The CodeMeter driver included in ARCHICAD installers can’t be installed. The installer recognizes 10.3 string from 10.10.3 as and older version of OS X, which is not compatible with the driver.

The error message below is displayed when trying to install the driver:

Please note that the error message is erroneous therefore using this old driver version will not solve the issue. Instead the newest CodeMeter 5.21 driver solves the problem, which can be downloaded and installed manually from our Protection Key Driver Downloads page.

Publishing or Saving PDF in AC 17 from Yosemite client to SMB mounted Yosemite server results in 0 KB PDF file

Affected versions: 17 | Severity: not our bug, workaround applicable

Please note that the special ArchiCAD 17 hotfix 9 Build 8004 is dedicated to fix this issue.

This issue is related to changes to the SMB protocol in OSX10.10. In ArchiCAD 18, with the new PDF engine included, the problem does not occur.

Workaround: Instead of SMB, try mounting with CIFS or AFP protocol

Hotlinks turn missing and can not be relinked in Teamwork

Affected versions: 18, 17 | Severity: workaround applicable

Please note that this issue is fixed in ArchiCAD 18 Update 5100
Please note that the special ArchiCAD 17 hotfix 9 Build 8004 is dedicated to fix this issue.

Links get lost/damaged when the hotlinks are on a mounted drive. This issue is related to the alias algorythm behaving differently in OS X 10.10 compared to previous OS versions. We are planning to correct the new behavior in the next ArchiCAD18 Update which is planned to be released in March.

Workaround: Use “one dummy user login” to access the file server. The SMB/AFP/CIFS connection to the mounted server should be established with ONE and ONLY ONE login info. (In teamwork all users can use their own account this is only important for mounting the server!) The hotlinks have to be relinked once the users are all using the “dummy user login” but then on the links will stay stable.

BIMx cannot be run

Affected versions: 18, 17; StartEdition 2014 | Severity: there is no workaround

Please note that this issue is fixed in ArchiCAD 17 Hotfix Build 8000, in ArchiCAD 18 Update 4020 and in StartEdition 2014 Hotfix Build 8002

BIMx 17 and 18 cannot be run on OS X 10.10, the application crashes at startup.

BIMx 16 doesn’t respond on Yosemite.

BIMx 16 not being usable on Yosemite, no menus or keyboard commands appear, or even scrolling is not possible.

Workaround: left-click the mouse button on the screen (the BIMx model screen) then click Esc, the Esc button now works and so do all the other keys that had been unusable before.

Browse function in installers

Affected versions: 18 , 17 | Severity: workaround applicable

The browse function to customize the target folder for the installation will not open the file dialog. As a result GRAPHISOFT products can only be installed to the default locations on 10.10.

Workaround:During the installation you can use the Change option the specify a different folder within the GRAPHISOFT folder. When you install an update or hotfix, the target path can be changed manually in the path bar.

Usernames are missing in the Japanese and Russian versions

Affected versions: 18 , 17 | Severity: workaround applicable

Please note that this issue is fixed in ArchiCAD 18 Update 5100

User names are not visible in the Teamwork palette using the Japanese or Russian versions of ArchiCAD.

Workaround: They will appear if you set the the language to English in System Preferences.

Palettes disappear / turn transparent after using the “Application Windows”

Affected versions: 18 , 17, 16  and older | Severity: workaround applicable

Please note that this issue is fixed in ArchiCAD 18 Update 5100

When using Apple’s Application Windows or Mission Control (formerly called Exposé) to switch between ArchiCAD windows, all palettes can disappear or turn transparent after returning from the overview. This phenomenon occurs when the cursor was left on an element before entering to the Application Windows.
This issue has surfaced because of the changes Apple made in the Mission Control for OS X 10.10. GRAPHISOFT reported this problem towards Apple.

Workaround: This glitch can be circumvented in ArchiCAD by turning off the Info Tag in Work Environment:

Cursor Disappears in BIMx While Saving

Affected versions: 18 , 17 | Severity: workaround applicable

Please note that this issue is fixed in ArchiCAD 18 Update 5100 and in ArchiCAD 17 Hotfix Build 8000

The mouse and cursor disappears in the Save BIMx Model dialogue box. It is not possible to select the destination of the file in the appropriate field.
The issue occurs with version 17 and 18 when:

• opening BIMx from ArchiCAD
• opening BIMx independently of ArchiCAD.

You can save your file to the default folder by hitting Enter, then you can move your file to the desired destination.

Workaround: switch to another application by using Command+TAB on your keybord then switch back to BIMx, you will find the cursor reappear.

Hotlinks are indicated as missing

Affected versions: 18 , 17 , 16 and older| Severity: workaround applicable

If hotlinks are linked from a network share that gets unmounted in the background, ArchiCAD is not mount the share back.
Workaround: Re-mount the share in Finder and re-start ArchiCAD.

Mounted drives disappear in the ArchiCAD file dialog

Affected versions: 18 , 17 , 16 and older| Severity: workaround applicable

Mounted volumes can disappear from the left panel of the ArchiCAD file dialog (e.g. open file dialog, add library dialog, hotlink dialog). The problem crops up when the file dialog is brought up again after browsing into a folder of the mounted drive. The roots of this issue lie within the changes Apple made in the mounted volume handling for OS X Yosemite and it is not specific to ArchiCAD.

The mounted drive is still accessible via the Devices section. (Devices section can be turned on in Finder Preferences by ticking the checkbox next to the local drive.)

App Nap

Affected versions: 18, 17, 16 and older | Severity: workaround applicable

App nap is a great  feature to help to save battery life. When this feature gets enabled, applications that run in the background will be slowed down.
There are situations when ArchiCAD works in the background (e.g. drawing update) and you would like to run it on full speed.

Workaround: To keep ArchiCAD alive in the background; disable App nap for the ArchiCAD.app. This is highly recommended for all Teamwork (BIMcloud, BIM Server) users.

• search for the ArchiCAD applications in Finder: \Applications\GRAPHISOFT\ArchiCAD <version>\ArchiCAD.app
• select the app an pull up the context menu, by right click or ctrl click
• select Get Info
• check Prevent App Nap checkbox

App nap should be turned off for BIM Server Manager and BIM Server Control Center (applications in the BIM Server folder) because App nap might prevent the server to run smoothly.

v18 BIM Server and BIMcloud is not affected.

Installer is damaged and can’t be opened

Affected versions: 17, 16 and older | Severity: workaround applicable

In certain cases OS X will give the following error when you try to mount an ArchiCAD 17 or older GRAPHISOFT provided dmg downloaded from the Internet: <Installer name>.app is damaged and can’t be opened. You should eject the disk image.

Workaround: This problem can be easily circumvented by setting the Gatekeeper setting to Anywhere. After that the dmg should mount fine. The installers on the installation DVD are not affected, this issue seems to be related only to downloaded packages.

The installer hangs showing a spinning wheel

Affected versions: 17 | Severity: workaround applicable

ArchiCAD 17 can only be installed using Java 7 on Yosemite. If there is no Java 7 installed on your computer, Java 8 has to be downgraded to Java 7. More info about ArchiCAD and Java.
In certain cases the installer may stop at the very beginning of the installation process and show a spinning wheel. A possible solution is to open System Preferences, Language and Region and change the Time format to 24-Hour Time. The same needs to be set if uninstalling the software is not possible.

Based on the latest tests this only affects Regions, where the default is the 24-Hour format, but the settings is later changed to 12-Hour format. Reverting the original setting helps to resolve the problem.

Frequent crashes when shortcuts are used with OS X Yosemite Beta members

Affected versions: 18 , 17, 16 and older | Severity: fixed

 Update 5100 for ARCHICAD 18 fixes this problem.

For members of the beta program an extra menu item is available in the Help menu: Help send <application name> feedback. The presence of this can result frequent crashes when shortcuts are used in ArchiCAD. (e.g. opening the 3D window with (fn-) F3 key)

Workaround: either of the following can help to avoid this:

• Install a fresh copy of 10.10 instead of upgrading your current beta installation to the final one. (and migrate all of your data over)
• Delete the Feedback Assistant app (/System/Library/CoreServices/Applications/Feedback Assistant.app) and restart your Mac. Note, that as a result of this Feedback Assistant’s functionality will no longer be available. If you happen to have multiple partitions having this App, you will need to delete it from all drives.

Dialog boxes may close automatically in ArchiCAD 16 and older versions

Affected versions: 16 and older| Severity: there is no workaround

Dialog boxes, for example Object Selection Settings may close automatically. As a result selecting or changing library objects can be extremely difficult.

Updating the operating system under BIMcloud and BIM Server

General recommendation

It is wise to hold off upgrading the OS of a BIMcloud, BIM Server computer unless there is a specific reason or need to do so. Do not upgrade the operating system of the BIMcloud or BIM Server until you have time to properly backup all projects, users roles and libraries. Be prepared for unexpected situations, to avoid any potential downtime that affects all Teamwork users.

Version 18 BIMcloud and BIM Server

The new versions were designed to be compatible with the built in version migration of OS X, though make sure you have a full backup before the migration.

Version 17 and older BIM Server versions

Based on our tests these versions survive the migration without any major problems, though from previous years’ experience sometimes repairing the BIM Server is required.

If there are more modules installed (like 16, 17) or if you want to be on the safe side, the best is completely re-installing the BIM Server.

• backup all of your BIM Server data (projects, libraries, users, roles)
• uninstall all BIM Server modules
• upgrade the OS to Yosemite
• install the BIM Server, only install the modules that you are actively using – this might be the prefect time to archive old projects or migrate them to recent versions
• import back all data

Transferring data between computers with Apple’s Migration Assistant

 Warning: Transferring user data to another computer via Apple’s Migration Assistant to another computer with a newer OS X version (i.e. Computer A running OSX Mountain Lion 10.8 to Computer B running OS X Mavericks 10.9) is not advised and may result in corruption of ArchiCAD and BIM Server software.

The recommendation is that you first back-up your project files and Teamwork data, then uninstall any GRAPHISOFT software from the original computer, perform the Operating System migration, then re-install GRAPHISOFT software on the new computer. Failing to do so may result in you having to fully re-install your operating system on the new computer and install all programs from scratch along with user data.

Apple hardware

• Retina Display compatibility
• How to use Magic Mouse in ArchiCAD
• How to use Magic Trackpad in ArchiCAD

Compatible ArchiCAD versions

Compatible versions

• GRAPHISOFT is maintaining compatibility for ArchiCAD 16, 17, 18, 19 and 20 and connected products (BIMcloud, BIMx, BIM Server, BIM Server Manager) on Windows 8.1.

Not supported versions

• ArchiCAD 15 and older versions may be run on Windows 8.1, though these were designed to work with older versions of the operating system. As a result of this there is no official support for operating system specific problems. Based on GRAPHISOFT’s experiences ArchiCAD 15 works well on Windows 8.1.

Operating System branch compatibility

GRAPHISOFT products are supported on Pro and Enterprise editions and are compatible with Home and Educational editions.

Upgrade checklist

• Study the Windows 8 and Windows 8.1 articles for any known issues, difficulties
• Back up all of your data, including ArchiCAD / BIM Server specific data before upgrading the operating system. When switching from 32-bit to 64-bit, you need to perform a clean install of Windows. This means that you have to re-install all your software applications and migrate all your data after installing the system.
• Upload all Software keys to the License Pool
• Return all borrowed licenses before upgrading the OS
• Allow yourself enough time for the upgrade, do not upgrade the OS close to a deadline
• Install/update Windows.
• Install ArchiCAD. Your ArchiCAD install DVD includes both 32-bit and 64-bit version of ArchiCAD, and the correct version will automatically selected when you run the automated installer wizard.
• Install all updates for the new operating system
• Install all updates for GRAPHISOFT products
• Install the Windows 8.1 compatible protection key driver
• Test ArchiCAD and the BIM Server

Known issues

Based on GRAPHISOFT’s test there are no new known issues on Windows 8.1. Please note the ones that apply for Windows 8. For details see our Windows 8 guide.

Please note that ArchiCAD 16 is the last release of ArchiCAD to support Windows XP and any 32-bit operating system. The next major release of ArchiCAD will be 64-bit only, and will support only 64-bit Operating Systems, including Windows 7 and Windows 8.
Read more: Discontinued32BitSupport

Compatible ArchiCAD versions

GRAPHISOFT products are supported on Pro and Enterprise editions and are compatible with Home and Educational editions.

Compatible versions

ArchiCAD 13 and newer

ARCHIACD 20 is compatible but not tested by GRAPHISOFT on Windows 7 (64-bit system)
ArchiCAD 17-19 versions are fully compatible with Windows 7 on 64-bit systems.
ArchiCAD 13-16 versions are fully compatible with Windows 7 on both 32 and 64-bit systems.
ArchiCAD 13 acquired the official “Compatible with Windows 7” logo from Microsoft.

Not supported versions

We have tested the installation of older versions of ArchiCAD on Windows 7 and we have found that it can work.
Try At Your Own Risk. Graphisoft does not provide technical support for these releases.

ArchiCAD 12

ArchiCAD 12 is Windows Vista compatible. Since Windows 7 is engineered to be compatible with Windows Vista products, you can run ArchiCAD 12 smoothly on Windows 7. However, there is a minor glitch in the install process:

During the install process the following error message appears:

Cause: VCRedist_x86.exe which installs Visual C++ runtime components to your computer fails to start

Solution: Hit OK to continue installation. ArchiCAD will be installed successfully. It is possible that the necessary system components are already available on your system, and ArchiCAD will run without any further preparation. If ArchiCAD fails to start, please download and install the following components:

• vcredist_x86.exe – Install this, if you have either 32-bit or 64-bit Windows 7 operating system
• vcredist_x64.exe – Also install this component, if you are on 64-bit Windows 7 On 64-bit Windows 7 you need to install both components!

ArchiCAD 11

ArchiCAD 11 is Windows Vista compatible. It can be installed and work on Windows 7 in many cases. In some cases it may not install or run due to some unique configurations on the operating system set by the user or the computer manufacturer or system updates that arrived after our testing.

ArchiCAD 10

ArchiCAD 10 is Windows XP compatible. Windows 7 Professional and Ultimate editions (except for starter and Home Premium editions) provide “Windows XP Mode” for legacy software. (It can run fine even without Xp mode.)

ArchiCAD 10 can install and run fine on Windows 7 in many cases. In some cases it may not install or run due to some unique configurations on the operating system set by the user or the computer manufacturer or system updates that arrived after our testing.

ArchiCAD 9

The following steps need to be completed to install ArchiCAD 9 on Windows 7.

1. Uninstall all installed Java versions from the computer*
2. Install the Java version from the ArchiCAD 9 disk
3. Run ArchiCAD installer, and select “Custom” install option
4. Exclude “GS Shell Extension” component from installation
5. Run the installer
6. Reboot system
7. Re-install the latest Java environemt
8. Update WIBU-driver (Download driver from here)

*ATTENTION: UNINSTALL JAVA AT YOUR OWN RISK. Refer to www.java.com for the proper uninstall procedure. The removal of Java may have adverse affects on your system and is not advised unless you understand the risk and are competent at performing such procedures.

Most of the issues reported on Windows Vista apply to Windows 7 as well.

Compatible GRAPHISOFT products

BIM Server and BIMcloud:

• BIM Server v18 and BIMcloud are compatible with Windows 7 (64-bit)
• BIM Server v17 is compatible with Windows 7 (64-bit)
• BIM Server v16 is compatible with Windows 7 (64-bit is recommended)
• BIM Server v15 is compatible with Windows 7(32-bit and 64-bit)

BIMx Desktop Viewer:

• BIMx Desktop Viewer 16-18 are compatible with Windows 7 (32-bit and 64-bit)

Compatibility notes to ArchiCAD on Windows7

Autosave speed problems

Some users report issues with autosave speed. We have found that Windows 7’s file indexing system (and also some virus protection software) is sometimes responsible for this. Try disabling indexing for ArchiCAD’s autosave folder. To do that:

• go to Control Panel
• select Indexing Options
• click Modify
• Browse for [System Drive]/users/[your username] and
• Uncheck the Checkbox for the Graphisoft folder

QuickTime error when starting ArchiCAD

Some users report QuickTime error when starting ArchiCAD 13-14 on Windows 7 – Find the solution here: ArchiCAD14/InstallProblems

Microsoft has ended support for Windows 8 on the 12th of January 2016

Microsoft has ended support for Windows 8 on the 12th of January 2016. GRAPHISOFT recommends to update all Windows 8 systems running GRAPHISOFT products either to Windows 8.1 or to Windows 10.

Compatibility notes to ArchiCAD on Windows 8

Please note that ArchiCAD 16 is the last release of ArchiCAD to support Windows XP and any 32-bit operating system. The next major release of ArchiCAD will be 64-bit only, and will support only 64-bit Operating Systems, including Windows 7 and Windows 8. Read more: Discontinued32BitSupport

GRAPHISOFT products are supported on Pro and Enterprise editions and are compatible with Home and Educational editions.

Compatible ArchiCAD versions

Supported versions

	Full/Edu	Start	Solo	Full/Edu	Start	Solo	Full/Edu	Start	Solo
Windows 8 32-bit	*	*	*				–	–	–
Windows 8 64-bit	*	–	–		–	–

* This version of Windows is capable of running ArchiCAD, but is not officially supported by GRAPHISOFT

Compatible but not tested

• ARCHICAD 20 version may be run on Windows 8, though it was designed to work with newer versions of the operating system. As a result of this there is no official support for operating system specific problems.

Not supported versions

• ArchiCAD 15 and older version may be run on Windows 8, though these were designed to work with older versions of the operating system. As a result of this there is no official support for operating system specific problems.

• ArchiCAD 16 running on Windows 8

Compatible ArchiCAD versions

BIM Server and BIMcloud:

• BIM Server v18 and BIMcloud are compatible with Windows 8 (64-bit)
• BIM Server v17 is compatible with Windows 8 (64-bit)

BIMx Desktop Viewer:

• BIMx Desktop Viewer 17 and 18 are compatible with Windows 8 (32-bit and 64-bit)

Windows 8 versions

Windows Pro

• ArchiCAD 17 and 18 versions are supported and tested by GRAPHISOFT on Windows and 64-bit platforms. ArchiCAD 15 and ArchiCAD 16 versions are supported and tested by GRAPHISOFT on Windows Pro 32-bit and 64-bit platforms. Please note that ArchiCAD 16 is the last version that supports 32-bit operating systems. (And the last version that supports Windows XP.) Based on this it is strongly recommended to use the 64-bit version of Windows 8, which of course requires 64-bit compatible CPU (e.g. Intel Core 2 Duo and newer).

Windows 8, Windows 8 Enterprise

• Windows 8 and Windows 8 Enterprise differ in features that do not affect the correct functionality of ArchiCAD. These editions were not tested officially.

• More about Windows 8 editions on Wikipedia.

Windows RT

• Windows RT is a Windows 8 version that will be only available as preinstalled OS for ARM based devices, such as tablet PCs (e.g. Microsoft Surface). ArchiCAD does not support ARM based devices.

Upgrade checklist

• Study the Windows 8 article for any known issues, difficulties
• Back up all of your data, including ArchiCAD / BIM Server specific data before upgrading the operating system. When switching from 32-bit to 64-bit, you need to perform a clean install of Windows. This means that you have to re-install all your software applications and migrate all your data after installing the system.
• Upload all downloaded Software keys to the License Pool
• Return all borrowed licenses before upgrading the OS
• Allow yourself enough time for the upgrade, do not upgrade the OS close to a deadline
• Install Windows.
• Install ArchiCAD. Your ArchiCAD install DVD includes both 32-bit and 64-bit version of ArchiCAD, and the correct version will automatically selected when you run the automated installer wizard.
• Install all updates for the new operating system
• Install all updates for GRAPHISOFT products
• Install the Windows 8 compatible protection key driver
• Test ArchiCAD and the BIM Server

Known issues

Wibu/CodeMeter driver compatibility

• The first version of the CodeMeter driver that supports Windows 8 is version 4.50. You can find the latest GRAPHISOFT tested CodeMeter drivers here.The Wibu-Key driver that is available on the same page works well if you use a Wibu key locally – directly connected to the computer. If you would like to run a Wibu Server on Windows 8 / Windows Server 2012 you need to wait until Wibu-Systems releases a compatible driver (6.10).

.NET Framework

• ArchiCAD 15 and older versions require .NET Framework 2.0, which is no longer part of the the default Windows installation. During the installation Windows offers the installation of the latest .NET Framework, make sure you choose Download and install this feature there. Not doing so may lead to not working features in ArchiCAD like the Movie Player or the ArchiCAD YouTube channel.

Cannot find PDF file or viewer

• Issue:
  • PDF files such as the ArchiCAD Reference Guide cannot be opened directly from ArchiCAD’s help menu. ArchiCAD gives Cannot find PDF file or viewer error message.

  Cause:

  • Windows 8 has a built in PDF reader called Reader that runs on the so called Windows 8 user interface. ArchiCAD cannot trigger that reader and even if you install a third party PDF reader like Adobe Reader the default will remain the built in Reader.

  Solution:

  • As a workaround browse for the PDF documentation in a file manager and then open the files with any PDF reader. You can find the documentation in this folder: C:\Program Files\GRAPHISOFT\ArchiCAD 16\Documentation

Missing Start Menu items

• Issue:
  • The traditional Start Menu items are missing.

  Cause:

  • With Windows 8 the Start Menu has been discontinued. Applications can be run using the new Windows 8 user interface. This interface only lists executable applications, as a result some previous Start Menu items are not listed.

  Solution:

  • All of the files can be directly accessed through a file manager. Some examples:
    • Readme first: C:\Program Files\GRAPHISOFT\ArchiCAD 16\Read Me First.htm
    • ArchiCAD Help: C:\Program Files\GRAPHISOFT\ArchiCAD 16\Help\ArchiCAD Help.htm
    • BIM Server Reference Guide: C:\Program Files\GRAPHISOFT\BIM Server\GRAPHISOFT BIM Server Reference Guide.pdf

Cannot open the Read Me

• Issue:
  • The Read Me cannot be opened from the Installation Front End.

  Solution:

  • Browse in the file system for the Read Me file:
    • Open File Explorer
    • Select the optical drive under Computer
    • Right click on it to reach the context menu
    • Open
    • Open Read Me First.html

Apple has released MAC OS X 10.11 on the 30^th of September, 2015. You can see the list of compatibility of different ARCHICAD versions and the schedule of Compatibilty Updates below.

Compatible ARCHICAD versions

Summary by versions

ARCHICAD 20: Supported for all language versions.

ARCHICAD 19: Supported Builds: ARCHICAD 19 Update 5005 for all language versions.

ARCHICAD 18: Supported Builds: ARCHICAD 18 Update 8004 for all language versions.

ARCHICAD 19 Solo: Supported Builds: ARCHICAD 19 Solo Update 5007 for INT, UKI, JPN and KOR language versions (available through the Automatic Update System).

ARCHICAD 18 Solo: Supported Builds: ARCHICAD 18 Solo Update 8006 for INT, UKI, JPN and KOR language versions  (available through the Automatic Update System).

ARCHICAD SE2015: Supported Builds: ARCHICAD SE2015 Update 7008 for all language versions.

ARCHICAD SE2016: Supported for all language versions.

ARCHICAD versions 17 and older, 17 SOLO and older, SE 2014 and older: Do NOT upgrade your MAC OS to MAC OS X 10.11. These versions will not be supported on MAC OS 10.11.

Upgrade checklist

• Study this article for any known issues, difficulties
• Back up all of your ARCHICAD / BIMcloud / BIM Server specific data before upgrading the operating system
  • Export all BIM Server Projects, Users, Roles in case these backups will be needed
  • Make sure that you have a copy (source folder) of all BIMcloud BIM Server libraries
• Allow yourself enough time for the upgrade, do not upgrade the OS close to a deadline
• Install all current operating system updates and ARCHICAD updates prior to the upgrade
• Upload all Software keys to the License Pool
• Return all borrowed licenses
• Upgrade the operating system
• Install all updates for the new system

If migrating to a new computer please see Transferring data between computers with Apple’s Migration Assistant topic of this article below.

Known issues

Missing drawings and hotlinks

 Note: Fixed in ARCHICAD 18 Update Build 8004 and ARCHICAD 19 Update Build 5005.

Affected versions: 19 or older | Severity: workaround applicable

Issue

External drawings and hotlinks – which are stored on a mounted drive – are missing from the project and cannot be relinked or updated (solo and teamwork projects are also affected) if at least one user modifies the affected project with OS X El Capitan. From this point Relink/Update doesn’t work, the external file remains missing. With PMK files ARCHICAD also presents a ‘Cannot open file’ warning message.

Cause

There were significant changes in the mounted drives handling on OS X El Capitan comparing to Yosemite and earlier versions of OS X.

If different operating system users mount the affected network folder and a user places an external drawing or a hotlink from this folder, then other users will experience that these drawings and hotlinks are missing.

Workaround

Use “one dummy user login” to access the file server. The SMB/AFP/CIFS connection to the mounted server should be established with ONE login info. In teamwork all users can use their own account, this is only important for mounting the file server! Note that hotlinks and drawings have to be relinked once the users are all using the same “dummy user login”.

In case of hotlinks, other possible workaround is to use teamwork projects as hotlinks instead of module files.

Can’t select menu items from drop-down menus in ARCHICAD 19 or older

 Note: Fixed in ARCHICAD 18 Update Build 7007 and ARCHICAD 19 Update Build 4011. This issue is also fixed in the Temporary Compatibility Update.

Affected versions: 19 or older | Severity: there is no workaround

When you try to select a menu item from a drop-down menu in ARCHICAD, the previous setting stays active. There is no workaround for menus that are only available as drop-down, but if you can find the setting on a different panel, you can use the option from there (for example you can’t set the Renovation status from the default settings panel, but you can apply it from the Renovation Palette).

Textures are missing when you open the 3D window for the second time in ARCHICAD 18

Affected versions: 18 | Severity: workaround applicable

If you close the 3D window (OpenGL, perspective), and open it again, the textures of all surfaces will be missing. The colors will still match, but there won’t be any textures.

Workaround:

You can leave the 3D window open in the background, and the bug won’t happen at all. If it has already happened, you can fix it by changing the 3D Engine to Internal, and then back to OpenGL. You can do that by selecting the 3D Engine from the ‘View>3D View Options’ menu.

Interactive schedules are empty in ARCHICAD 18

 Note: Fixed in ARCHICAD 18 Update Build 8004.

Affected versions: 18 | Severity: workaround applicable

The interactive schedules are displayed as if they were empty when opened in ARCHICAD 18 under OS X 10.11 El Capitan

Workaround: Resize the schedule window. Reopening the schedule window is not sufficient, the content will possibly still be invisible, it has to be resized!

ARCHICAD becomes unresponsive, because second level dialog box jumps behind the first if you close a third level dialog box

 Note: Fixed in ARCHICAD 18 Update Build 8004 and ARCHICAD 19 Update Build 5005. 

Affected versions: 18 and 19 | Severity: workaround applicable

If you open 3 dialog boxes (each one from the previous dialog box), and close the 3rd one, you might notices that the 2nd dialog box disappears, and you can only see the first one, but it’s unresponsive. This is because the second dialog box jumped behind the first one, and that’s the one that’s actually active. Let’s see an easy example to help better understand the problem: 1. Open a Default settings dialog (1st dialog) 2. Choose the “Favorites…” button from the top left (2nd dialog) 3. Choose “Save Current Settings as Favorite” (3rd dialog) 4. Cancel the upcoming dialog 5. The 2nd panel should be behind the first one now

Workaround: You can either drag the first dialog out of the way to reveal the active dialog box, or just press CMD+TAB twice.

ARCHICAD 18 and Start Edition 2015 can’t save texts on PDF, when using the Save As… option

 Note: Fixed in ARCHICAD 18 Update Build 7007. This issue is also fixed in the Temporary Compatibility Update.

Affected versions: 18 and SE2015 | Severity: workaround applicable

If you try to use the Save As… option to save a PDF in ARCHICAD 18 and SE2015, texts (Text, Dimension Text, Label Text, etc.) won’t be saved on the layouts.
Workaround: In ARCHICAD 18, the publisher saves PDFs correctly. In SE2015, you can use the Operating System’s own PDF saver tool from the print dialogue.

Migrate Teamwork Project Dialog closes when “Open another project is selected”

 Note: Fixed in ARCHICAD 18 Update Build 8004 and ARCHICAD 19 Update Build 5005.

Affected versions: 19 or older | Severity: workaround applicable

If you try to migrate multiple Teamwork projects to a newer version BIM Server, using the “Prepare for Migration…” option, and at the end of the preparation phase choose “Open another project”, the dialog closes. You can still migrate the project that you prepared.
Workaround: Migrate your projects one-by-one.

ARCHICAD 19 becomes unresponsive with the latest Public Beta Update (Version 2-4, Solved in Version 5)

 Note: The issue is fixed with Public Beta Update Version 5.

Affected versions: 19 or older | Severity: solved

ARCHICAD becomes unresponsive after a few seconds of use. The application window can still be moved around, but no other interaction is possible (You need to Force Quit the application). Please do not update, if you haven’t done it yet.

App Nap

Affected versions: 19 and older | Severity: workaround applicable

App nap is a great  feature to help to save battery life. When this feature gets enabled, applications that run in the background will be slowed down. There are situations when ARCHICAD works in the background (e.g. drawing update) and you would like to run it on full speed.
Workaround: To keep ARCHICAD alive in the background; disable App nap for the ARCHICAD.app. This is highly recommended for all Teamwork (BIMcloud, BIM Server) users.

• search for the ARCHICAD applications in Finder: \Applications\GRAPHISOFT\ARCHICAD <version>\ARCHICAD.app
• select the app an pull up the context menu, by right click or ctrl click
• select Get Info
• check Prevent App Nap checkbox

If App Nap is on, and you are working in Teamwork, App Nap might terminate the connection with the server, and you might even need to restart ARCHICAD in order to get it online again. App nap should be turned off for BIM Server Manager and BIM Server Control Center (applications in the BIM Server folder) because App nap might prevent the server to run smoothly. v18+ BIM Server and BIMcloud is not affected.

Info Tag can’t be displayed in ARCHICAD 18

 Note: Fixed in ARCHICAD 18 Update Build 8004.

Affected versions: 18 | Severity: there is no workaround

In ARCHICAD 18, the Info tag won’t be displayed, when you hover over an item with the Arrow tool. You need to select the item, and see it’s settings in the selection settings window. The issue only affects ARCHICAD 18.

Hotlinks are indicated as missing

 Note: Fixed in ARCHICAD 18 Update Build 8004 and ARCHICAD 19 Update Build 5005.

Affected versions: 19 and older| Severity: workaround applicable

If hotlinks are linked from a network share that gets unmounted in the background, ARCHICAD is not mount the share back.
Workaround: Re-mount the share in Finder and re-start ARCHICAD.

Mounted drives disappear in the ARCHICAD file dialog

 Note: We are planning to fix this issue in the next ARCHICAD 18 update.

Affected versions: 19 and older| Severity: workaround applicable

Mounted volumes can disappear from the left panel of the ARCHICAD file dialog (e.g. open file dialog, add library dialog, hotlink dialog). The problem crops up when the file dialog is brought up again after browsing into a folder of the mounted drive. The roots of this issue lie within the changes Apple made in the mounted volume handling for OS X Yosemite and it is not specific to ARCHICAD.

The mounted drive is still accessible via the Devices section. (Devices section can be turned on in Finder Preferences by ticking the checkbox next to the local drive.)

Publishing or Saving PDF in AC 17 from 10.10 or 10.11 client to SMB mounted 10.10 or 10.11 server results in 0 KB PDF file

Note: the special ArchiCAD 17 hotfix 9 Build 8004 is dedicated to fix this issue.

Affected versions: 17 | Severity: not our bug, workaround applicable

This issue is related to changes to the SMB protocol in OSX10.10. In ARCHICAD 18, with the new PDF engine included, the problem does not occur.
Workaround: Instead of SMB, try mounting with CIFS or AFP protocol

Hotlinks turn missing and can not be relinked in Teamwork

Note: the special ArchiCAD 17 hotfix 9 Build 8004 is dedicated to fix this issue.

Affected versions: 17 | Severity: workaround applicable

Links get lost/damaged when the hotlinks are on a mounted drive. This issue is related to the alias algorythm behaving differently in OS X 10.10 compared to previous OS versions.
Workaround: Use “one dummy user login” to access the file server. The SMB/AFP/CIFS connection to the mounted server should be established with ONE and ONLY ONE login info. (In teamwork all users can use their own account this is only important for mounting the server!) The hotlinks have to be relinked once the users are all using the “dummy user login” but then on the links will stay stable.

The installer hangs showing a spinning wheel

Affected versions: 17 | Severity: workaround applicable ARCHICAD 17 can only be installed using Java 7 on Yosemite.

If there is no Java 7 installed on your computer, Java 8 has to be downgraded to Java 7. More info about ARCHICAD and Java. In certain cases the installer may stop at the very beginning of the installation process and show a spinning wheel. A possible solution is to open System Preferences, Language and Region and change the Time format to 24-Hour Time. The same needs to be set if uninstalling the software is not possible. Based on the latest tests this only affects Regions, where the default is the 24-Hour format, but the settings is later changed to 12-Hour format. Reverting the original setting helps to resolve the problem.

Palettes disappear / turn transparent after using the “Application Windows”

Affected versions: 17 and older | Severity: workaround applicable

When using Apple’s Application Windows or Mission Control (formerly called Exposé) to switch between ARCHICAD windows, all palettes can disappear or turn transparent after returning from the overview. This phenomenon occurs when the cursor was left on an element before entering to the Application Windows. This issue has surfaced because of the changes Apple made in the Mission Control for OS X 10.10. GRAPHISOFT reported this problem towards Apple.
Workaround: This glitch can be circumvented in ARCHICAD by turning off the Info Tag in Work Environment:

Installer is damaged and can’t be opened

Affected versions: 17 and older | Severity: workaround applicable

In certain cases OS X will give the following error when you try to mount an ARCHICAD 17 or older GRAPHISOFT provided dmg downloaded from the Internet: <Installer name>.app is damaged and can’t be opened. You should eject the disk image.
Workaround: This problem can be easily circumvented by setting the Gatekeeper setting to Anywhere. After that the dmg should mount fine. The installers on the installation DVD are not affected, this issue seems to be related only to downloaded packages.

BIM Server (17 and older) doesn’t start after migrating to El Capitan

For detailed description on how to fix your Bim Server see this article.

Updating the operating system under BIMcloud and BIM Server

General recommendation

It is wise to hold off upgrading the OS of a BIMcloud, BIM Server computer unless there is a specific reason or need to do so. Do not upgrade the operating system of the BIMcloud or BIM Server until you have time to properly backup all projects, users roles and libraries. Be prepared for unexpected situations, to avoid any potential downtime that affects all Teamwork users.

Version 19 and 18 BIMcloud and BIM Server

The new versions were designed to be compatible with the built in version migration of OS X, though make sure you have a full backup before the migration.

Version 17 and older BIM Server versions

Based on our tests these versions survive the migration without any major problems, though from previous years’ experience sometimes repairing the BIM Server is required. If there are more modules installed (like 16, 17) or if you want to be on the safe side, the best is completely re-installing the BIM Server.

• backup all of your BIM Server data (projects, libraries, users, roles)
• uninstall all BIM Server modules
• upgrade the OS to El Capitan
• install the BIM Server, only install the modules that you are actively using – this might be the prefect time to archive old projects or migrate them to recent versions
• import back all data

Transferring data between computers with Apple’s Migration Assistant

 Warning: Transferring user data to another computer via Apple’s Migration Assistant to another computer with a newer OS X version (i.e. Computer A running OSX Mountain Lion 10.8 to Computer B running OS X Mavericks 10.9) is not advised and may result in corruption of ARCHICAD and BIM Server software. The recommendation is that you first back-up your project files and Teamwork data, then uninstall any GRAPHISOFT software from the original computer, perform the Operating System migration, then re-install GRAPHISOFT software on the new computer. Failing to do so may result in you having to fully re-install your operating system on the new computer and install all programs from scratch along with user data.

Apple hardware

• Retina Display compatibility
• How to use Magic Mouse in ARCHICAD
• How to use Magic Trackpad in ARCHICAD

Unknown error occurred during upgrade to BIMcloud 19 from BIM Server 19

Issue

During the installation the following error message appears:

Causes

1. The CodeMeter driver is not installed properly or the driver is not up-to-date.
2. The installer cannot find a suitable BIMcloud license.

Solution

1. Install the latest CodeMeter driver.
2. Go through the CodeMeter Troubleshooting Guide and make sure the Hardware or Software Key is accessible from this computer. To manage the BIMcloud licenses download the latest available License Manager Tool.