ARCHICAD 12 NEW FEATURES LIST

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

ArchiCAD 12 New Features List 1

Curtain Wall are editable, although the rest of the model can be also
displayed in a background manner, as a reference.
Since Curtain Wall members are typically present in sequences of
similar elements, dedicated “find and select” options and the new
“grip” functionality help to identify and select members for further
editing.
Once selected, any parameters of any Curtain Wall member can be
accessed in settings dialogs.
Since Curtain Walls often feature extreme geometry that does not
necessarily coincide with vertical-horizontal planes, ArchiCAD offers
versatile input planes for greater freedom in surface definition. Also,
in comparison with other construction elements, a higher level of
editing freedom is provided: including input in Section views,
boundary editing, and free rotation.
See Curtain Wall: A System Tool in ArchiCAD Help.
For more information on this feature, see 3D Document in ArchiCAD Help.
3D Document
The 3D Document allows you to use any 3D view of the model as the
StairMaker Enhancements
basis for creating a document where dimensions, annotations and
additional 2D drawing elements may be added. More Flexible 2D Display of Stairs with Improved
Interface
For example, you can convert a detail drawing into a document that
shows information in 3D - such as intersection of composite walls in • Stair Settings offers many more parameters allowing you to
space, including dimensions and annotations. adjust the Floor Plan symbol display of stairs to conform to local
standards.
• In the 3D window, set up a 3D view of the model: the view you
want to see in your 3D Document. • Custom User Interface Settings (2D Symbol and Attributes)
allow for flexible text display, railing/walking line symbols,
• Set up the perspective or projected 3D view; use 3D Cutting handrail types, 2D symbol and 3D attributes.
Planes, filter or select elements, use Marquee as needed, or
perform solid element operations. See Symbol Settings (StairMaker) in ArchiCAD Help.
• Create a new 3D Document based on the 3D Window source.
• Annotate the document as needed, adding labels and dimensions.

2 ArchiCAD 12 New Features List

• Text Display parameters similar to those of regular GDL stairs:
Four New Standard Stair Types for StairMaker
• Single Winder at Lower End; Single Winder at Upper End; Single
Winder U-Return; Double Winder U-Return.
• User defines number of risers in the winder; related parameters
will be adjusted accordingly.
ArchiCAD 12 New Features List
• User defines offset of risers in winders from the corner(s) of the
stair.
Flexible Options for Defining Location of Saved Stair
When you save a new stair created with StairMaker, you can browse
any library location:
See the ArchiCAD 12 Library Guide, available from the Help menu, for more
detailed New Features information for Stair Tool and StairMaker.
Partial Structure Display
• Flexible Display of Core/Finish skins of Composite and
Complex Elements
• Show/Hide skins as needed using Partial Structure Display dialog
box: Entire Structure; Core Only; or Without Finishes.
• Save “Partial Structure” settings along with views
See Partial Structure Display in ArchiCAD Help.
3
Bi-Directional Drawing
Marker Referencing
The Title panel of Drawing Settings now gives you access to the Back
Reference function.
Back Reference allows you add Layout ID information to the
Drawing Title: specifically, the ID of one or more Layouts that
contain a Drawing showing the source marker of the current
Drawing.
See Drawing Title Reference to Drawing Source (“Back Reference” to Layout
Containing Source Marker) in ArchiCAD Help.
Nudge/Align/Distribute
Elements
User may now select any object in 2D or 3D and nudge, align and
distribute in a manner similar to popular office applications.
4 ArchiCAD 12 New Features List
Nudge Shortcut
A quick way to move elements on the screen is to use the “Nudge”
feature: select one or more elements, then use Shift + arrow key
(Left/Right/Up/Down) to move the element left, right, up or down.
The “Nudge factor” - the increment by which you will move the
element - is the same as the distance entered for your Snap Grid in
View > Grid Options > Grids & Background.
To Nudge a selected element in larger increments, use Shift + Alt +
an arrow key. This will move the selected elements by the distance
entered for your Construction Grid in View > Grid Options >
Grids & Background.
See Nudging Elements in ArchiCAD Help.
Align Elements
Use the Align menu (Edit > Align) to align selected elements with
each other, or to a custom-drawn target line, using a variety of criteria:
• Align elements right or left;
• Align elements to the top or bottom;
• Center elements vertically or horizontally;
• “Special”-align elements to any line on an existing element, or to
a temporary line/arc drawn by you.
The Align commands are only active if you have selected at least two
elements.
See Align Elements in ArchiCAD Help.
Distribute Elements
Use this menu (Edit > Distribute) to evenly distribute selected
elements using a variety of criteria:
The Distribute commands are only active if you have selected at least
two elements.
The two selected elements at either end will remain in place; the rest
of the selected elements.
See Distribute Elements in ArchiCAD Help.
Dialog Box Enhancements These settings will remain in the right side of the dialog box even if
you use the browser to look through library objects on the left. To
again return the browser to the status in which it shows the currently
Splitter Bars selected object’s place in the library, click the Show in library
command, accessible by clicking the black arrow next to the object
Splitter bars make it easier and faster to see and interact with dialog
name in the Preview and Positioning Panel.
box panels as you need them. New splitter bars in the following
dialog boxes:
• Layer Settings
• HotLink Manager
• Work Environment (Keyboard Shortcuts, Toolbox, Tool
Settings, Info Box, Toolbars, Menus)
Moreover, in the Layer Settings Dialog Box and the Object Tool Section/Elevation Marker
Settings dialog boxes (Door, Window, etc.), you can double-click
anywhere along the Splitter to open or close it. (Or single-click on the Display
black arrow.)
Section and Elevation Marker display is no longer a Model View
Resizeable/Sortable Headers Option. Set separate preferences for Section markers and Elevation
markers in the respective Settings dialog boxes.
Just click and drag to sort or resize the header fields in the following
dialog boxes (Resize is available where the header contains text rather
than icons).
• Favorites
See Section Marker Panel in ArchiCAD Help.
• Story Settings
•
•
Add-On Manager
Choose HotLink
Reveal Options for
• Xref Management Doors/Windows
• DXF-DWG Translation Setup An expanded set of options for defining Door/Window Reveals is
• Library Part Editor now available in Door/Window Settings. For standard library parts,
these are listed in graphical form in the Custom Settings panel of
• Project Info
Door/Window Settings.
• Update Zones

Navigation in Object Settings Dialog Box

In Object Settings, if you select an object from the browser area, that
object’s settings appear on the right-hand side of the dialog box.

ArchiCAD 12 New Features List 5

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

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

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

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

New Fill Type Names

Fill types listed in the Fill pop-ups are grouped under new names:
Solid Fills include:
• the Foreground Fill (formerly Solid): You see only the
Foreground, because it covers up the Background.
• the Background fill (formerly Empty): You see only the
Background, because the Foreground is set to zero.
• Three fills whose foregrounds are of predefined Translucence
(25%, 50%, 75%).
These percentages can be adjusted by hand in Options > Element
Attributes > Fill Types:
By default, ArchiCAD 12 provides two Image fills as Attributes, but
you can define your own.
See Image Fills in ArchiCAD Help.
Better Zone Fill Representation
The “Options for Fills and Zones” panel of Model View Options is
now called “Override Fill Display.”
By default, all types of fills use the settings defined at the element
level (formerly called “As in Settings”). In ArchiCAD 12, to set a
different global display preference for any type of fill, you must check

6 ArchiCAD 12 New Features List

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

New Fill Types for GDL Objects

Apply a Gradient or translucent fill to GDL objects.

PMK File Format

As of ArchiCAD 12, the PMK format is available for saving views in
the Publisher. This is a native ArchiCAD drawing format which takes
up relatively less hard drive space than many other formats. Saving
views in PMK format can be a good workflow if your project is
divided among multiple files (e.g. Model pln and Documentation pln),
with several team members working through a network. Pet Palettes for Dimension Editing
See “Larger Projects” in Layouting Workflow Schemes in ArchiCAD Help. For selected dimension lines, pet palettes are now available with
editing commands.
Improved Dimensioning
Input Logic DWG Element Conversion
Improved dimensioning input logic makes it easy to visualize
Improvements
dimension lines and adjust dimension points on the fly. The “Any
Direction” input method enables you to choose from several logical ACIS Import
possibilities for placing the dimension line, including placing it A new function allows you to convert AutoCAD 3D Solids, Regions
parallel to any existing line or edge. and Bodies into GDL Objects. Opening or merging such objects
See Linear Dimensions in ArchiCAD Help. brings up a Browse dialog box, where you choose the folder to which
to save the GDL objects you will create.
Dimensions in the 3D Document Window
Fill-Hatch Conversion Table
In the 3D Document Window, an addition input method lets you
dimension along any chosen plane. Set up fill conversion table in DXF-DWG Translation Dialog Box to
map ArchiCAD fills to AutoCAD hatches (analogous to Font-Style
See Linear Dimensions in the 3D Document Window in ArchiCAD Help. Conversion).
See Fills in ArchiCAD Help.

ArchiCAD 12 New Features List 7

Attribute Purge
When saving an ArchiCAD file as DWG, only those ArchiCAD
attributes will be included which are actually used in the project. This
is an automatic process, reducing file size.
You can opt to purge further attributes: a new checkbox in
DXF-DWG Translation Settings (Miscellaneous) enables you to
purge all unused attributes that originate in the DWG template file.
LTScale
The LTScale variable used in DWG files will now be correctly
interpreted when opening or merging DWG files in ArchiCAD. New
line types will be created as needed, regardless of the length of the
original line pattern.
Saving Layout Content to DWG Format
When ArchiCAD Layouts are saved to Paper Space in DWG format,
the content of every Drawing in the AC project is transferred into the
DWG Model Space, regardless of the drawings’ status and source.
Even the content of external Drawings and internal-source Drawings
which are not in updated condition is transferred to Model Space,
because this content is now assigned to layers in DWG Model Space.
This works if the DXF/DWG Translator Settings for “Save Layout
Into” are set to either “Paper Space with Cropped View’s Content” or
“Paper Space with Full View’s Content.”
Performance
• Multi-core processor support. With ArchiCAD 12, multi-core
processors becomes the recommended and standard platform
for higher performance computing. Areas that will see
noticeable improvement include navigation and 3D model
generation including sections and shadow casting.
• Image and fill handling. New technology allows for significant
increases in performance in working with bitmap images and
large fills in the design phase and during the generation of the
document set layouts. PDF generation is also improved.
8 ArchiCAD 12 New Features List
• Layout book:
- Algorithm change makes working on large layouts significantly
faster, due to faster rebuild speed while navigating.
- On-screen Preview options let you choose the level of
precision of on-screen display of drawings.
See On-Screen Preview in ArchiCAD Help.
With large Layout Books, your choice here can affect navigation
speed significantly:
• Full Precision (drawing shown with full details, always rebuilt)
• Quick Preview (faster navigation; Drawing rebuilt only upon
explicit Rebuild of the Layout, or when a Drawing update occurs)
• No Preview (fastest navigation).
Multi-Page Layouts for
Schedules and Indexes
An Interactive Schedule or Project Index placed as a Drawing can be
automatically converted so that it is split up among multiple Layouts -
to ensure output of the entire Schedule/Index content.
See Split Schedule into Multiple Layouts in ArchiCAD Help.
Grid Tool
The Grid Tool allows you to place Grid elements individually or in a
Grid System. The Grid Tool creates a custom local Grid whose
elements are part of the model and serve as an editable framework for
placing multiple elements or for identifying locations in the model.
See The Grid Tool in ArchiCAD Help.
Note: The Grid Tool was included in some localized earlier
versions of ArchiCAD; as of ArchiCAD 12, it is now a standard
part of the package.
Improved Hotlink Label Enhancements
Management • Label tool has new Label Type: Label Members (currently for
Curtain Wall only, in Section window only)
• One-step update of Hotlinked Modules which include Nested See Placing Member Labels on Curtain Walls in ArchiCAD Help.
modules (Nested Modules updated from own source files, so that • Optionally hide Label Arrowhead depending on window scale
you don’t have to open the hotlinks with nested modules
See Label Pointer Panel in ArchiCAD Help.
separately to update them).
• New Label Pointer type: Pointer with underlined text
• Comprehensive user interface provides clear overview of Module
See Label Pointer Panel in ArchiCAD Help.
instances and hierarchy; allows you to open separate ArchiCAD
with the source file from the Hotlink Manager.
• Improved performance, smaller file size when placing multiple
instances of a single module

ArchiCAD 12 New Features List 9

10 ArchiCAD 12 New Features List