Getting Started with ArchiCAD 12

Graphisoft
Visit the Graphisoft website at http://www.graphisoft.com for local distributor and product availability information.

Getting Started with ArchiCAD 12

Copyright 2008 by Graphisoft, all rights reserved. Reproduction, paraphrasing or translation without express prior written permission is strictly prohibited.

Trademarks
ArchiCAD is a registered trademark and PlotMaker, Virtual Building and GDL are trademarks of Graphisoft. All other trademarks are the property of their respective holders.

CONTENTS
Installation _____________________________________________________ 5 Hardware/Software Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 MacOS (PPC or Mac Intel) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5 Required Hardware . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5 Memory and Disk Space. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5 Display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5

Windows. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6 Required Hardware . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6 Memory and Disk Space. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6 Display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6

Optional Hardware Peripherals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Licenses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Commercial License. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Educational License . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Trial License . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 7 8 8

Hardware Protection. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Demo Version . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Compatibility Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Opening ArchiCAD Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Plotter and Digitizer Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Saving Project Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 11 11 11

Standard Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Updates. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15 Additional Installations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16

Create Installation Package for Predefined Company Standards. . . . . . . . . 17 Migration _____________________________________________________ 23 Migrating ArchiCAD 9 Projects to ArchiCAD 12 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Option 1: Create Two Separate Files in ArchiCAD 12 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Option 2: Create Single File in ArchiCAD 12 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Conversion Warnings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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23 23 26 30

Conversion of Other Attributes/Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 Drawing Status . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 Drawing Name and Drawing ID . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 Library Objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 Converted Model Views in ArchiCAD 12: Floor Plan Display Issues . . . . . . . . . . 35 Migrating an ArchiCAD 10 or 11 File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 Note the Following. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 Learn the Following . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 Do the Following . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

How to Migrate Projects Containing Hotlinks to ArchiCAD 12 . . . . . . . . . . . 44

Getting Started with ArchiCAD 12

INSTALLATION
Hardware/Software Requirements
MacOS (PPC or Mac Intel)
Software
System software 10.4 and 10.5

Required Hardware
G5 series or Intel Mac required Multicore processor is recommended to exploit ArchiCAD 12 performance capabilities

Memory and Disk Space

1 GB RAM is required, 2 GB or more recommended 1 GB free hard disk space required for a full installation of ArchiCAD Additional 2 GB hard disk space required for work with complex models and 3D visualization

Display
Resolution of 1024 x 768 is required Resolution of 1280 x 1024 or higher is recommended Open GL compatible graphic card with on-board video memory of 256 MB or more is recommended to fully exploit hardware acceleration capabilities

You can find a list of recommended video cards at: http://archicadwiki.com/Video_Cards

Getting Started with ArchiCAD 12

Hardware/Software Requirements

Windows
Software
Microsoft Windows XP Professional; XP Professional x64edition Vista Business and Ultimate Edition (32-bit and 64-bit) QuickTime 7 or later and Java 1.6.0 or later are required ArchiCAD installer will automatically install Java 1.6.0 and QuickTime 7 if they are not present on your computer.

Required Hardware
Intel Pentium 4 or higher required Multicore processor is recommended to exploit ArchiCAD 12 performance capabilities.

Memory and Disk Space

1 GB of RAM is required, 2 GB or more is recommended 1 GB free disk space required for a full installation of ArchiCAD Additional 2 GB hard disk space required for work with complex models and 3D visualization

Display
Resolution of 1024 x 768 is required Resolution of 1280 x 1024 or higher is recommended Open GL and DirectX9 compatible graphic card with on-board video memory of 256 MB is recommended to fully exploit hardware acceleration capabilities. You can find a list of recommended video cards at: http://archicadwiki.com/Video_Cards

Optional Hardware Peripherals

All major plotter, printers and digitizers can be used with ArchiCAD.

Getting Started with ArchiCAD 12

Licenses

Licenses
There are three types of ArchiCAD licenses: Commercial, Educational and Trial. As part of the installation process, you will be prompted to choose one of the three licenses.

Choose the Commercial License if your package includes a hardware protection key (dongle) for ArchiCAD, or if you wish to install a Demo version. Choose the Educational License if you are a student and you have received a Serial Number for ArchiCAD. Choose the Trial License if you want to try out ArchiCAD for a limited time, and if you have registered for a Trial Version Serial Number.

Commercial License
To run the commercial license of ArchiCAD in full mode, a hardware protection key (dongle) is required. Depending on which package you have purchased, the protection key will enable you to use ArchiCAD either as a single user or as part of a network. Note: If you have the network version, the DVD will contain a Network Utilities program. See the accompanying Read-Me file for details.
Getting Started with ArchiCAD 12

Licenses

If you have a hardware protection key, your ArchiCAD will run in full mode as long as you work on files created with the commercial license. However, if you open a file created in educational mode, ArchiCAD will switch to education mode and a watermark will appear on the page whenever you print/plot drawings.

Educational License
Choose the Educational license if you are a student and you have received a Serial Number for ArchiCAD. The file extensions of ArchiCAD files created in the Educational license are identical to those of files created in the Commercial license (i.e., PLN for a solo project and PLA for a solo project archive). However, if you print a file created in the Educational license, each printed/plotted page will display a watermark text. An ArchiCAD file created in the Educational license can be opened by a full (commercial) license of ArchiCAD, which will then switch to Educational mode as long as the Education-license file is in use. Installation of an Educational license ArchiCAD follows the same steps as those detailed below (at Standard Installation), with the following exceptions: Instead of installing a hardware protection key, you will be asked to provide your serial number. If your serial number is that of an individual student rather than an educational institution, you will not have the option to create a custom Installation Package. If your ArchiCAD is registered by an educational institution, entering that serial number will enable you to create a custom Installation Package.

See Create Installation Package for Predefined Company Standards on page 17.

Trial License
Choose the trial license if you want to try out the full functionality of ArchiCAD for up to 30 days. If you choose this option, you will be prompted to provide a serial number. You can register for a serial number at the website address provided.

Getting Started with ArchiCAD 12

Hardware Protection

While the trial license is a full-feature license of ArchiCAD, there are some limitations compared to the full commercial license: Every trial installation has its own unique file format, so that working in teams is not possible. (Full-license files opened with the trial license will also be converted to the trial format.) There is a watermark applied to the trial files. The trial license cannot save files in AC11 format. Once you buy the full commercial license, you need only insert the protection key into your computer: after restarting the program, the trial license automatically switches to full mode, and the files created by the trial license will be converted to ArchiCAD commercial files, but only on the computer on which they were created. Important: After you convert your Trial version ArchiCAD into Commercial version, make sure you open and re-save all your trial version files. You can do this only with this copy of ArchiCAD. Once you uninstall this copy of ArchiCAD, trial version files created with it can no longer be opened at all.

Hardware Protection
The ArchiCAD Hardware Protection Key represents your investment in the full license of ArchiCAD, so please safeguard and insure it for the full value of your software just as you would any other company asset. Lost Protection Keys are not replaceable. The commercial license of ArchiCAD comes either with a stand-alone or a network type hardware protection key. The network protection is programmed differently than the stand-alone hardware protection key. Thus, the two keys cannot be interchanged. If you are an upgrader from ArchiCAD 7.0 or newer version, your ArchiCAD package will not include the hardware protection key, because ArchiCAD 12 will run on your existing protection key after you upgrade it. To activate or upgrade the hardware protection key, please visit https://upgrade.graphisoft.com and follow the steps. If you have purchased new ArchiCAD licenses, your ArchiCAD provider has given you an activation code. If you are upgrading an existing ArchiCAD license, your key will be upgraded automatically. Contact your local dealer for help with activation. If you upgrade from pre-7.0 versions of ArchiCAD, please contact your local ArchiCAD provider to receive the protection key.
Getting Started with ArchiCAD 12

Compatibility Information

If you have the network protection version of ArchiCAD, you have to install a special server software on the computer where the network hardware protection key will be connected. Warning: Before starting to install network software, please read the installation instructions accompanying the Network Utilities for ArchiCAD on the DVD. The Protection Key must be properly installed at all times when ArchiCAD is running, otherwise you will not be able to continue your work or launch ArchiCAD, except in Demo mode.

Demo Version
If you received a copy of ArchiCAD for evaluation purposes, your package does not contain a hardware key and you will be able to run ArchiCAD in demo mode only. The Demo mode is for exploring ArchiCADs functionality. However, you cannot save your work, nor can you cut/paste elements from the clipboard or use the Teamwork function. These commands and menu items are disabled, and the ArchiCAD 12 titlebar changes to ArchiCAD 12 Demo. Your ArchiCAD program may also be restricted to Demo mode for the following reasons: no key is attached to your computer, or all of your ArchiCAD licenses are in use, or your protection key is defective. In these cases, an alert message will appear when you start ArchiCAD, informing you about the problem with the protection key. You can run ArchiCAD in Demo mode or quit and resolve the problem.

Compatibility Information
We suggest that you use previous versions of ArchiCAD to work on your current projects, until you feel comfortable and productive with the new version. We recommend that you keep your existing ArchiCAD environment for a time, even if you are using ArchiCAD 12. ArchiCAD 12 provides downward compatibility with limitations: all information based on the new features and functions of ArchiCAD 12 will

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Getting Started with ArchiCAD 12

Compatibility Information

be lost in a file saved in ArchiCAD 11 format. Also, you cannot use library parts of newer versions in previous ArchiCADs, which means that projects saved in ArchiCAD 11 format will not be able to use ArchiCAD 12 library parts. ArchiCAD 12 library parts cannot be saved in earlier file formats. When migrating earlier version files to ArchiCAD 12, you should load the Subset Library or Migration Library, in addition to the ArchiCAD 12 library. See Incompatible Library Parts on page 42.

Opening ArchiCAD Files

ArchiCAD 12 can open ArchiCAD 8.1, 9, 10 and 11 project files only. You cannot open earlier versions of project files directly in ArchiCAD 12. Please use ArchiCAD 8.1 or later version to convert them to a usable file format. We strongly recommend that you create an archive file (.pla) of each project you worked on with older ArchiCAD versions. Move a project onto ArchiCAD 12 only if you have archived it with the previous version. If you are opening a project from ArchiCAD 9 or earlier in ArchiCAD 12, see Migrating ArchiCAD 9 Projects to ArchiCAD 12 in this document.

Plotter and Digitizer Support

Pen plotters (or pen-plotter mode on raster plotters) are no longer supported beginning with version ArchiCAD 8.1. Users who wish to use a pen plotter should keep an earlier ArchiCAD version. ArchiCAD 12 does not support earlier Graphisoft digitizer drivers; however, manufacturers digitizer drivers work fine in the new ArchiCAD version in mouse-mode for sketches.

Saving Project Files

ArchiCAD 12 can back-save project files in ArchiCAD 11 format only (among previous ArchiCAD file formats). You cannot use library parts of newer versions in older-version ArchiCADs.

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Standard Installation

Standard Installation
Insert the ArchiCAD DVD into your computers DVD-ROM drive. On PC: A start-up presentation will be launched, giving you a short visual introduction to the capabilities of ArchiCAD. Click on Install Graphisoft ArchiCAD 12 in the menu to start the Installation Wizard. If the start-up presentation is not launched automatically on PC, doubleclick on the Setup application in the DVD root directory. On MacOS: the ArchiCAD 12 volume will be mounted on your desktop. Open this volume and click the ArchiCAD 12 Installer icon to begin the start-up presentation. Click on Install Graphisoft ArchiCAD 12 in the menu to start the Installation Wizard. The ArchiCAD Installation Wizard guides you through the steps of installing ArchiCAD on your computer. On the PC platform, the installer will first check your Java environment. ArchiCAD installer will automatically install Java 1.6.0 if it is not present on your computer.

License Type Selection

Choose ArchiCAD 12 Commercial license, Educational license or Trial license. For more information, see Licenses on page 7.

Serial Number (Educational and Trial licenses only)

If you choose Educational or Trial license, you will be asked to provide your registered user name and serial number.

Program Folder Selection

After accepting the license agreement, you will have to define a location on your computers hard drive for installing ArchiCAD 12. You can either accept the default location offered by the Installer, or point to an existing folder or create a new folder.

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Getting Started with ArchiCAD 12

Standard Installation

Choose Setup Type

There are three types of installations available: The Typical option installs all components of ArchiCAD 12. It is recommended to use this option when first installing ArchiCAD. The Custom option installs only the selected parts of the full package. Choose this option only if you are experienced in installing and using ArchiCAD. A third option, Installation Package Creation is also available. Use this only if you have already configured and saved ArchiCAD defaults in a separate folder.

See details in Create Installation Package for Predefined Company Standards on page 17.

Work Environment Profiles

As part of the installation process, if the installer detects an earlier version of ArchiCAD on your machine, you will have the option of importing any customized Work Environment Profiles from ArchiCAD 9, 10 and 11 to ArchiCAD 12.

Shortcuts
As part of the install process you can create an ArchiCAD 12 Desktop shortcut. On PC, you can also create a QuickLaunch shortcut, and on MacOS, a Dock icon.

Protection Key
After installing ArchiCAD, insert the hardware protection key into the USB port of your computer and restart your computer so that the hardware protection key will function properly. For more information, see Hardware Protection on page 9. On the PC platform, you must have QuickTime 7 or higher installed on your computer to run ArchiCAD 12. If it is not already on your system, QuickTime 7 will be installed automatically, and its license agreement will be displayed for you to accept.

Getting Started with ArchiCAD 12

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Standard Installation

Modify and Repair

If you already have ArchiCAD installed, and start the Installation Wizard, you are provided with two options:

1) Add will add new features to your current installation. You will see all
available features in a list and you can check features to be added to your current installation.

2) Repair will reinstall ArchiCAD with the features of your current

installation. You can choose to save your preferred files in a backup folder. If you select this option, a backup folder will be created in your ArchiCAD 12 folder. The name of the backup folder will contain the ArchiCAD version and the date of creation; and will include: your previous Add-on settings your previous ArchiCAD 12 Library your previous default work environment schemes

After the repair process is complete, you can either delete these preferred files or reuse them by copying them back into your repaired ArchiCAD environment: copy your Add-On settings back to the respective sub-folders of your ArchiCAD 12/Add-Ons folder replace the library in the ArchiCAD 12/ArchiCAD Library 12 folder replace your Defaults folder in the ArchiCAD 12 folder (thereby including your current Work Environment, Translator and Template data)

Project files you saved into the ArchiCAD 12 folder will not be deleted or overwritten by the repair process.

Uninstall
To uninstall ArchiCAD 12 from a PC, it is best to use the Add or Remove Programs utility, accessible from the Control Panel. Alternatively, navigate to the Uninstall.AC folder in your ArchiCAD 12 folder, and select the Uninstaller application. The Uninstall Wizard will help remove files which were installed by the ArchiCAD Installation Wizard. If you have more than one ArchiCAD installed, you may want to leave the WIBU driver and components installed on your system. In this case, make sure that the Remove WIBU hardware protection driver option is un-

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Getting Started with ArchiCAD 12

Standard Installation

checked. The uninstaller doesnt remove any files you have created in the ArchiCAD main folder - e.g. ArchiCAD project files that you saved into the ArchiCAD main folder. Important: Do not remove the Java Runtime Environment before uninstalling ArchiCAD. A silent uninstall method is also available. See Silent Uninstall on page 21.

Updates
To check for available updates of your localized version of ArchiCAD and/ or ArchiCAD libraries, start ArchiCAD 12 and go to the Help menu: The Check for Updates command will open your internet browser and will guide you to the Graphisoft update website. If there is no new update patch available for your release and language version of ArchiCAD, the web page will inform you that you are using an up-to-date version of ArchiCAD. If there is a new update patch available, the web page will automatically offer you the updater package that fits your current ArchiCAD installation. You can choose to run the Check for Updates function automatically on a regular basis by setting the options at Options > Work Environment > Web Options. Note: If you have an updater patch installed and use the Add/Repair function of your original ArchiCAD 12 Installer DVD, you will be prompted to re-apply the updates after the modification or repair is carried out. The ArchiCAD update option is available to holders of the commercial or educational ArchiCAD 12 license. You can find other downloadable materials (example files, goodies etc.) at www.graphisoft.com/support/archicad/downloads.

Getting Started with ArchiCAD 12

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Standard Installation

Additional Installations
With the ArchiCAD 12 installer, the following utilities can be installed: Java runtime environment Java 1.6.0 or newer is necessary to run ArchiCAD 12 installer/uninstaller. On MacOS, Java comes with the operating system. On PC, the ArchiCAD 12 installer will detect your Java environment and will install Java 1.6.0 if needed. Hardware protection key driver is necessary to run ArchiCAD 12. If not found on your system, the WIBU driver will be automatically installed with ArchiCAD 12. QuickTime 7 or higher is necessary to run ArchiCAD 12. On the MacOS system, it is part of the operating system. On PC, if QuickTime version 7 or higher is not found on your system, QuickTime 7 for Windows will be automatically installed with ArchiCAD 12. Adobe Reader is necessary to read the PDF documentation provided in the ArchiCAD 12/ Documentation folder. On the MacOS system, Adobe Reader is part of the operating system. On the PC platform, you can install it by inserting the ArchiCAD 12 CD and selecting the Adobe Reader caption. in the ArchiCAD 12 installation dialog box. With a typical install, ArchiCAD 12 will include a number of built-in drivers for a wide variety of HPGL compatible plotters. Optional, for PC only. Utility for extended Graphisoft file property information on Windows. Optional, utility for managing plotting in networks

WIBU system components QuickTime installer

Adobe Reader

Plotter Drivers Graphisoft Shell Extension PlotFlow

For more information about additional utilities, open the folders of the applications in the ArchiCAD main folder to find detailed descriptions.

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Create Installation Package for Predefined Company Standards

Create Installation Package for Predefined Company Standards

With a Commercial and certain Educational licenses, it is possible to create a custom installation package that contains all the company standard environment settings, such as: Work environment settings DXF/DWG Translators used by default Project templates

Distributing this installation package in the office makes it possible for all associates to have a copy of ArchiCAD customized according to the company standards determined by the CAD Manager. Note for Educational Institutions: If your ArchiCAD license is registered to an educational institution, you can use the Installation Package Creation process to create a recorded installation and simplify the installation of multiple identical copies of the program - even if you wish to use factory defaults instead of custom-defined settings. To do this, you (the CAD Manager) must first install ArchiCAD on your own computer, following the standard installation process, and configuring the program according to company standards, following the steps below. Then you will quit and re-install the program on a server (or different machine). This time, you will choose a special installation option which automatically records your installation process and creates an install package: a single executable application file to be launched on each end users machine. To create a custom installation package, follow these steps:

1) Install ArchiCAD 12 onto your own computer following the steps

under Standard Installation. Choose the Typical Setup.

2) Use Options > Work Environment dialog boxes to set up your

company standard work environment settings. Most such options are found in three dialog boxes of Company Standard Schemes: Data Safety; Web Options; and Special Folders. To save these settings in company-default profile for the office, go to Options > Work Environment > Work Environment Profiles.

Getting Started with ArchiCAD 12

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Create Installation Package for Predefined Company Standards

3) Create and save any number of template files. Template files include

libraries loaded through Library Manager (e.g. Office Standard Library). Templates can also include Project Preferences (e.g. Working Units, Zone calculation preferences), and such items as Master Layouts, Project Info, placed elements (e.g. Elevation markers, entire buildings). DWG Translation Setup) to set up Translators and save them to a shared folder on a server that is accessible to all users. (In this case, a TranslatorList.xml file is created, which is a list of references to these translators.) You can also create local translators that you want to install on the hard disk of each user.

4) Use the Translation Setup dialog box (File > File Special > DXF-

5) Quit ArchiCAD. 6) Create a new folder entitled Defaults. Following the hierarchy below,
copy the following files/folders into the Defaults folder: Defaults ArchiCAD WorkEnvironment ArchiCAD 12 Template.tpl Translator List.Xml Dxf-Dwg Translators

7) Uninstall ArchiCAD from your machine before running the Installer,

or run ArchiCAD Installer on the server or on another machine.

8) When you get to Choose Setup Type, choose the Installation

Package Creation option. The screens of the Installation Wizard will now show the message Recorded Installation. for the content of the recorded installation package:

9) Proceed through the screens of the Installation Wizard and set options Feature (Component) Selection
Choose the components you wish to install.

Company Standards Defaults

Use the controls of this screen if you wish to include company standard components as part of the install package.

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Create Installation Package for Predefined Company Standards

Note for Educational Institutions: If you are using the Installation Package Creation process to create a recorded installation that does not include customized settings, do not check the box on this screen. Your recorded installation process will then skip to the end of the process. Check the Install company standard defaults box. Use the directory dialog box to indicate the path of the Defaults folder on your system which contains previously defined company standard content. The folder and its contents should take form defined in Step 6 above. The program will check to ensure that the Defaults folder indeed contains default content. (If it does not, you will see a warning notice.)

ArchiCAD Work Environment Selection

Use the pop-up menu to define which Work Environment profiles should be included in the install package: ArchiCAD Factory Default Profile Set; or Predefined Company Standard Profile Set.

The selected profiles (referred to in a single .xml file) will be copied to the following location on each end users machine. On PC: Documents and Settings\user\Application Data\Graphisoft\ArchiCAD 12\Defaults\WorkEnvironment folder. On MacOS: Library\Preferences\Graphisoft\ArchiCAD 12\Defaults\ WorkEnvironment folder. Note: This panel will appear only if the components to be installed include ArchiCAD; and you have activated the Install company standard defaults checkbox; and the defined Defaults folder includes a WorkEnvironment subfolder.

DXF-DWG Translator List

Use this screen to specify the path of the translator list you want to include as part of the install package. If you have defined company standard translators and have placed the resulting Translator List.xml in the defined Defaults folder, check Install Predefined List of Translators. The paths of the translator files are displayed on the screen. The chosen .xml will be copied into the ArchiCAD 12/Defaults folder.
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Create Installation Package for Predefined Company Standards

After the package is installed on the end users machines, the users will have access to read-only templates of these referred translators (which are located on a server). To edit them, the users should create editable copies by duplicating them in DXF-DWG Translation Settings. If you want to use ArchiCADs factory default translators, do not check the box. Note: This screen will appear only if the components to be installed include ArchiCAD; and you have activated the Install company standard defaults checkbox; and the defined Defaults folder includes a file called TranslatorList.xml.

Local DXF-DWG Translators

If you have defined company standard Translators which you want to install on each end users machine, check Install Company Standard Translator(s). The names of these translators are shown in the box below. Upon installation on the end users machines, and when the program is first started, these translators will be copied to the following location on each users machine: On PC: Documents and Settings\user\Graphisoft\DXF-DWG Translators folder. On MacOS: Library\Application Support\Graphisoft\DXF-DWG Translators. Note: This panel will appear only if the components to be installed include ArchiCAD; and you have activated the Install company standard defaults checkbox; and the defined Defaults folder includes at least one file called Translator.xml.

Template Projects
If you have defined company standard Templates which you want to install on each end users machine, check Install Company Standard Template(s). The template files that you have copied to the Defaults folder are listed on the screen. Upon installation on the end users machines, and when the program is first started, these templates will be copied into the following location on each end users machine. On PC: Documents and Settings\user\Graphisoft\ArchiCAD Template folder. On MacOS: Library\Application Support\Graphisoft\ArchiCAD Templates

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Create Installation Package for Predefined Company Standards

When creating a new project in ArchiCAD with the Use a Template option, end users will find these company standard templates listed in the pop-up, together with other, recently used template files. Note: This screen will appear only if the components to be installed include ArchiCAD; and you have activated the Install company standard defaults checkbox; and the defined Defaults folder includes at least one Template file.

Complete Recorded Installation

After viewing a summary of your installation choices, click the Install button on the screen to initiate the recorded installation. On the next screens, three additional options will be added to the recorded installation, and will be carried out on each end users machine: if the installer detects customized Work Environment Profiles from earlier ArchiCAD versions (9, 10 or 11) on the end users machine, decide whether these should be imported to ArchiCAD 12 or not. decide whether an ArchiCAD 12 desktop shortcut should be created on the desktop decide whether the end users system should reboot automatically following the installation

Finally, define the path to which the recorded file - an executable application - should be saved. You have now created an installation package. When users launch this .exe application on PC (for example, AC12_Int_157.exe), or ArchiCAD Installer on MacOS, on the server, the usual queries posed by the Installation Wizard are skipped; the installation begins immediately. The installed copy of ArchiCAD will have the previously defined default settings.

Silent Uninstall
For both PC and MacOS, a silent mode is available for uninstalling ArchiCAD. Use this mode to run the uninstall process from beginning to end without any further user input. On PC: open the Run window from the Start menu. In Windows Explorer, navigate to the Uninstall.AC folder in the ArchiCAD folder. Drag uninstaller.exe into the command line; the path is copied to the command line.
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Create Installation Package for Predefined Company Standards

Type the following after the path: -W play.auto=YES e.g.: C:\Program Files\Graphisoft\ArchiCAD 12\Uninstall.AC\uninstaller.exe -W play.auto=YES On MacOS: open Terminal window, navigate to the Uninstall. folder in the ArchiCAD install folder, then type: uninstaller.app/Contents/MacOS/uninstaller W play.auto=YES e.g.: /Volumes/MyFolder/MySubfolder/ArchiCAD 12/Uninstall.AC/ uninstaller.app/Contents/MacOS/uninstaller W play.auto=YES

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Migrating ArchiCAD 9 Projects to ArchiCAD 12

MIGRATION
Migrating ArchiCAD 9 Projects to ArchiCAD 12
This chapter contains detailed information about how to migrate your ArchiCAD 9 plan files and PlotMaker 9 Layout Books into ArchiCAD 12. In version 9, the Project Model is always located in a PLN file, and the layouts in an LBK (Layout Book) file. As of ArchiCAD 10, ArchiCAD contains both Model Views and Layouts in an integrated environment in a single file. Since ArchiCAD 12 Projects can be divided among multiple ArchiCAD PLN files, there are two basic ways to migrate your ArchiCAD 9 Projects and PlotMaker 9 Layout Books to ArchiCAD 12:

1) Create Two Separate Files in ArchiCAD 12: The ArchiCAD 9

Project file should be placed into its own Project File in ArchiCAD 12 (this file would contain only Model Views, plus the default Layout Book), and the PlotMaker 9 Layout Book should be placed into a second, separate Project File in ArchiCAD 12 (this file would contain all Layouts with no Model information). 2) Create a Single File in ArchiCAD 12: If the Project is small enough, both the ArchiCAD 9 Project File (PLN) and the PlotMaker 9 Layout Book (LBK) can be merged into a single file in ArchiCAD 12. The following sections outline how to carry out both options.

Option 1: Create Two Separate Files in ArchiCAD 12

1) To migrate the ArchiCAD 9 Project File, simply open the PLN file in
ArchiCAD 12 and save it. Although there are several settings which can affect how elements are displayed on the Floor Plan, these are all automatically set during the conversion so that the same look is preserved in ArchiCAD as far as possible. Because of new settings in ArchiCAD 12, it is possible that some elements will look slightly different than they did in ArchiCAD 9.

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Migrating ArchiCAD 9 Projects to ArchiCAD 12

For detailed information, see Converted Model Views in ArchiCAD 12: Floor Plan Display Issues on page 35 for a detailed list. 2) To migrate the PlotMaker 9 Layout Book, use the File > Open command. In the Dialog, select PlotMaker Layout Book (*.lbk) as File Type and select the desired LBK file. Click the Open button to start opening it.

3) Since Title Types of PlotMaker 9 have become GDL Objects in

ArchiCAD 12, the program will convert all Title Types defined in the Layout Book File into Library Objects (GSM Files). ArchiCAD will prompt you to select a Folder into which these created Library Parts should be placed.

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Migrating ArchiCAD 9 Projects to ArchiCAD 12

Please note that these generated Title Types have become nonparametric GDL Objects in ArchiCAD 12, displaying the same information as the source Title Type in PlotMaker 9. However, if you used default Title Types in PlotMaker 9, you will find the counterparts of these in the ArchiCAD 12 Library and you may change the generated Title Types into parametric ones shipped with ArchiCAD 12. 4) While these GSM files are being generated, the program will alert you if a GSM file with the same name already exists in the specified folder. At this point, you can choose to Skip the file and not save it (retaining the one already in the folder); you can Skip All, so all files with a name that already exists in the folder will be skipped; you can choose Create New, in which case the existing file will be kept and another one with a similar name will be generated (e.g. if you had an existing file named Simple Title.gsm, the name of the newly created Title will become Simple Title~001.gsm); or you can instruct the program to Create New All, which will automatically do the same for every such Title Type file.

5) When ArchiCAD is finished converting the Layout Book data, an

Information Dialog will alert you to data that could not be converted because of essential differences between the features of ArchiCAD 12 and PlotMaker 9. For more detailed information, press Show Detailed Report in Browser to launch your default web browser containing a fuller explanation of what could not be converted and why, plus what you can do about it.

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Migrating ArchiCAD 9 Projects to ArchiCAD 12

For example, in PlotMaker 9, you could define custom line weights for each individual drawing element (e.g. Lines, Fills, etc.). In ArchiCAD 12, you can define line weights only for Pens, and all elements using a certain Pen will be drawn using the line weight defined for that Pen. Because of this difference, specific line weights defined in PlotMaker 9 will be converted back to their line weights as specified in the Pens & Colors Dialog of ArchiCAD 12. Please see Conversion Warnings on page 30 for a detailed list of possible conversion warnings. 6) Now your new ArchiCAD 12 Documentation Project File (a file containing only Layout Book information) is ready for use. One Story will be created as default, but no model data will exist in any Model Views. All Layouts will be displayed in the Navigators Layout Book.

Option 2: Create Single File in ArchiCAD 12

Use this option for relatively small projects, to merge both the Layout Book from PlotMaker and Project File from ArchiCAD 9 into a single project file in ArchiCAD 12. When creating a single PLN file in ArchiCAD 12, you will merge Layout Data into a Project File. In ArchiCAD 12, every Project File must contain both

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Migrating ArchiCAD 9 Projects to ArchiCAD 12

Model Views and a Layout Book as default. This means that the PLN file into which Layout Book data is merged will already contain one or more Layouts, with their own attributes and settings. For this reason, the procedure follows the usual rules of merging, which means that in case certain settings exist in the receiving file, existing data is used, and are not overwritten by merged data. Therefore, when merging Layout Book data into a PLN file, the following settings of the Layout Book are not carried through: Book settings Project Info Grid settings Default Master Layout setting

Also, settings in the Layouts page of Project Preferences in ArchiCAD 12 will not be modified by data of the imported Layout Book. The program will compare the names of the Attributes and Master Layouts of the merged file and the host ArchiCAD 12 file. Please note that the program compares only the names (but not content or definition) when checking for matching Attributes/Master Layouts. If the Attribute or Master Layout names in both files are identical, they will be considered identical by the program, and the existing files in ArchiCAD 12, along with their settings, will be kept. The structure of the merged Layout Book (its Layouts, Subsets, Master Layouts and placed Drawings) is inserted into the existing Layout Book structure of the ArchiCAD 12 PLN file. The steps are the following:

1) Open the PlotMaker 9 LBK file in ArchiCAD 12 and save it as an AC

12 PLN file.

2) Open the ArchiCAD 9 PLN file in ArchiCAD 12 and save it as another

AC 12 PLN file. You now have two new ArchiCAD 12 files; these two must now be merged.

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Migrating ArchiCAD 9 Projects to ArchiCAD 12

3) In the latter active Project File (the one containing model data), use the

File > File Special > Merge command to merge data from the other saved ArchiCAD 12 file (the one containing Layout Book data). In the appearing dialog box, choose Layout Book to merge Layout Book data of the file into your active Project File. Click the Merge button.

If you open the Organizer from the Navigator, you will see that all Layout Book data has now been merged into the Project File.

Note: You should follow the route specified in this guide, that is, merge the PLN File containing Layout Book data into the PLN File containing Model data, and not the other way around. This is because of the rules of merging, and because Views and certain other data would not come through if you merged the Model data into the file containing Layout Book data.

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Migrating ArchiCAD 9 Projects to ArchiCAD 12

In case you do not wish to merge the Layout Book in its entirety, only some of its Layouts, do the following:

1) Open the ArchiCAD 12 PLN File containing the Model data. 2) Open the ArchiCAD 12 PLN File containing the Layout Book data. 3) In the PLN file containing Model data, open the Organizer in such a

way that you see the Layout Book of both files. In the illustration below, the PLN File containing the Model data is on the right.

4) Using drag-and-drop, move the desired Layouts from the Layout Book
PLN file (on the left) into the Model PLN file (on the right). If you have Drawings placed into the Layout Book PLN which point to the Model PLN as their source, then the Drawing references will automatically switch from external file references to internal references after the Layouts are merged. Note: Such drawing links will not be redefined as internal references if the name of the source project file has changed since the drawings were placed. In this case, you should select all such drawings in the Drawing Manager and use the Link To button to re-link these Drawings to their source PLN (the renamed project file).

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Migrating ArchiCAD 9 Projects to ArchiCAD 12

Conversion Warnings
When you migrate a PlotMaker 9 Layout Book file, ArchiCAD 12 may warn you of some project elements that will not be reproduced in ArchiCAD 12, due to changed feature sets. The following is a list of all warnings that may be displayed by the program during conversion. The warnings displayed always apply to the file currently being converted.

1) Printing/Plotting Publisher sets should be reviewed

Some Print/Plot Options in PlotMaker 9 have no equivalent in ArchiCAD, so these settings need reviewing before Printing/Plotting them. been restored In PlotMaker 9, in the Book Settings Dialog box, output color of elements on Layouts may be set to grayscale or black. This option has no equivalent in ArchiCAD, so elements will appear in their original color. In PlotMaker 9 you may apply global settings to Fills. These options have no equivalent in ArchiCAD, so they cannot be converted. Therefore, all fills are displayed as defined in the Fill Settings Dialog Box. ArchiCAD does not support OLE technology, so OLE drawings within the LBK file cannot be converted properly. (If the OLE drawing was embedded in the LBK file, with no live link to the source application, you will see the drawing, but you cannot update it.) You can identify OLE drawings using the Drawing Manager palette: look for the OLE icon in the Type column. It is recommended to replace these OLE Drawings with PDF files in ArchiCAD 12. In PlotMaker you could modify the show/hide status of Drawing Layers. This option does not exist in ArchiCAD, so these drawing Layers will be displayed according to their original show/hide status. In PlotMaker, you could set the size of Texts and Markers to retain their original size even after the Output Scale was modified. (You checked the Fix Size option for Text and Markers in the Drawing
Getting Started with ArchiCAD 12

2) Original output color of Elements drawn or pasted into Layouts has

3) Fill-related display and output options could not be converted

4) OLE Drawings could not be converted

5) Edited drawing Layers are restored

6) Text and Markers size changes

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Migrating ArchiCAD 9 Projects to ArchiCAD 12

Settings dialog box.) This option does not exist in ArchiCAD, so Text and Markers will be resized according to the scale change, just like any other element in the drawing.

7) Custom line weight is restored to pen line weight

In PlotMaker you could assign a custom line weight to lines, circles and splines. In this case the color of the line came from the assigned pen, but the weight was custom set in the element's settings dialog box. This option does not exist in ArchiCAD, so the line weights of lines, circles or splines will be set to values specified in the Pens & Colors Dialog.

Conversion of Other Attributes/Settings

Layers, Pens, Fills: The ArchiCAD 12 PLN file will inherit the Layers of the LBK Layout Book. The PlotMaker Layer will be renamed to ArchiCAD Layer. Pens and Fills come through unaltered. Autotext items: All Autotext entries are converted. The name of some of these items will change. The following Autotext items (located in PlotMaker 9s Book Info Dialog) are now found in the Project Info Dialog of ArchiCAD 12: Client Project Name Street City State/Country Postal Code Company Project Number Architect Draftsman (CAD Technician in ArchiCAD 12) Project Status Date of Issue Custom1 Custom2 Custom3

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The following Autotext items are also converted. They are available in ArchiCAD 12 while editing a Text Block in either a Model View or on a Layout. Some names have changed. Some no longer apply, so these are converted into their closest match: Layout Name Layout Number (Layout ID in ArchiCAD 12) Subset Name Subset Number (Subset ID in ArchiCAD 12) Page Number (Layout Number in ArchiCAD 12) Number of Pages (Number of Layouts in ArchiCAD 12) Book Name (File Name in ArchiCAD 12) Book Path (File Path in ArchiCAD 12) Drawing Name Drawing Name with Extension (Drawing Name in ArchiCAD 12) Drawing Number (Drawing ID in ArchiCAD 12) Drawing Path (File Path in ArchiCAD 12) Drawing Scale (Original Scale in ArchiCAD 12) Output Scale (Drawing Scale in ArchiCAD 12) AC File Name (File Name in ArchiCAD 12) AC File Path (File Path in ArchiCAD 12) Last saved at Last saved by Long Date Short Date Time Master Layout: Layout size is defined differently in ArchiCAD 12. In PlotMaker 9 and earlier versions, the size of the Layout means the printable area of the page (the full size of the paper minus margins on all four sides). In ArchiCAD 12, the size of a Layout means the full size of the paper. This change does not affect either the full size of the Layout (printable area + Margins on all four sides) or the sizes of the printable area or any of the Margins. They will be the same as in previous versions; only the names have changed to better approximate real-world practice, where a Layout is the

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whole paper used for printing/plotting. So Master Layout sizes are converted accordingly. The Grid for Drawing Numbering and Master Layout default come through unaltered. Layout settings: comes through unaltered. Subset settings: comes through unaltered. Book settings: comes through unaltered, except Output Color settings, which does not come through (no equivalent in ArchiCAD 12 - see Warning 2 above). Drawing settings: all settings come through (Title is converted into GDL Object), except for Attributes Update Rules, which have no equivalent in ArchiCAD 12. Layer changes are not carried through (see Warning 5 above). If the Text and Markers option in PlotMaker has been set to Fix Size, Warning 6 above is displayed. If a placed Drawing had its own Pen Set, the same Pen Set will be created in ArchiCAD 12 and the Drawing will continue using it. The Output Scale setting will be converted into Drawing Scale. Note: In ArchiCAD 12, Drawing Scale is the scale of the Drawing on the Layout, which will be output, while Original Scale is that of the Drawings source view. If several Drawings in PlotMaker 9 used the same Pen Set, ArchiCAD 12 will create only one Pen Set for all the Drawings. This Pen Set will have the same name as the first converted Drawing which uses this Pen Set, but all the converted Drawings which used it in PlotMaker 9 will use it in ArchiCAD 12. Publishing Contacts: If you have saved your Publishing Contacts from PlotMaker into a file, you can open that Contacts file in ArchiCAD 12 after opening the PlotMaker 9 LBK file. Grid settings: comes through unaltered. Project Preferences: Working Units, Mouse Constraints, Publisher preferences, Uniform Pens and Colors setting, Miscellaneous settings come through. (Since there is no Uniform Pens and Color settings checkbox in ArchiCAD 12, this means in effect that all Drawings will refer to the same Pen Set). If cache data was stored in the Layout File in PlotMaker 9 (the option is in Preferences > Cache Folder), the Drawings will be stored in the Project File in ArchiCAD 12 (see Drawings placed on Layout below). Custom line weights do not come through (no equivalent in ArchiCAD 12 see Warning 7 above).

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Drawings placed on Layouts: In PlotMaker 9, Project links are saved with the Layout Book File (Preferences > Cache Folder > Include Cache in Layout Book). By default, external links (e.g. PMK files, bitmap files) are not saved with the Layout Book File. If a Drawing was saved with the Layout in PlotMaker 9 (Include all linked files checkbox of the Save as Dialog in PlotMaker 9 is checked), the Drawing generated from it in ArchiCAD 12 will be set to be a manualupdate Drawing, and will be saved with the ArchiCAD 12 Project File (the Store Drawing in the Project file checkbox will be checked in the Drawing Settings Dialog). If a Drawing was not saved with the Layout in PlotMaker 9 (Include all linked files checkbox of the Save as Dialog in PlotMaker 9 is not checked), the Drawing generated from it in ArchiCAD 12 will be set to be an autoupdate Drawing, and will not be saved with the ArchiCAD 12 Project File (the Store Drawing in the Project file checkbox will not be checked in the Drawing Settings Dialog).

Drawing Status
It is recommended that you perform an update of all placed Drawings after opening or merging a PlotMaker 9 LBK file in ArchiCAD 12. Background: The modification status checking of Drawings has been significantly enhanced in ArchiCAD 12. In PlotMaker 9, the program monitored the last modification date of the Drawings source files. If the last modification date of the file had changed, the program assumed that all Drawings coming from that file would need updating. In contrast, ArchiCAD 12 can monitor the modification status of each Drawing with a PLN source separately. When opening a PlotMaker 9 LBK file in ArchiCAD 12, a transitional state exists: the LBK file does not contain all information necessary for ArchiCAD 12 to decide the modification status of Drawings in the Layout Book file. (This transition state can cause Drawings with OK status in PlotMaker to have Modified status in ArchiCAD.) In this case, the status checking will be performed according to the old method (which assumes all drawings from a modified PLN source require updating). Only after the first update performed in ArchiCAD 12 will the status checking mechanism run on the drawing level instead of the file level.

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Migrating ArchiCAD 9 Projects to ArchiCAD 12

Drawing Name and Drawing ID

Not all Drawing Names and Drawing IDs coming from a PlotMaker 9 LBK file will have their exact equivalent when opened in ArchiCAD 12. Therefore it is recommended to review Drawing Names and Drawing IDs to make sure everything came through correctly. For checking Drawing Names/IDs and updating Drawings, it is highly recommended to use the Drawing Manager of ArchiCAD 12, which has many customizable columns listing information about Drawings. Background: In PlotMaker 9, the Drawing Name was always the same as the name of the View from which it was created. In ArchiCAD 12, a View Name consists of two parts: View Name and View ID. For this reason, Drawing Name can be either View Name or View Name + View ID (or Custom). In PlotMaker 9, the value of Drawing ID (which was called Drawing Number in PlotMaker 9), could come from the Layout or from the ArchiCAD Viewpoint, or it could be set to a custom value. In ArchiCAD 12, the ArchiCAD Viewpoint option is not available. Instead, the View ID value is used.

Library Objects
When merging an LBK file into ArchiCAD 12, all elements placed on Layouts, including library parts, are merged. However, the libraries used by the merged project are not automatically loaded into the ArchiCAD 12 project. Thus, if after a merge you find that any library parts (such as Drawing Titles) are missing, you should load any missing libraries to resolve the problem.

Converted Model Views in ArchiCAD 12: Floor Plan Display Issues

ArchiCAD 12 offers more sophisticated Display Options for elements than ArchiCAD 9, but predefined settings will ensure that files migrated from ArchiCAD 9 will have compatible displays in ArchiCAD 12. While display options have changed since ArchiCAD 9 (they are now called Model View Options), the following information should help you recreate the same display in ArchiCAD 12 for migrated projects.

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Migrating ArchiCAD 9 Projects to ArchiCAD 12

In ArchiCAD 12, options for Doors and Windows are set separately in Document > Set Model View > Model View Options, Options for Construction Elements Panel, giving you more flexibility in applying model views: If you choose the Show On Plans radio button, but leave the with Markers checkbox unchecked, it will achieve the same result as the Show on Plans option in ArchiCAD 9. If you choose the Show On Plans radio button, and check the with Markers checkbox, it will achieve the same result as the Show with Dim. option in ArchiCAD 9. If you choose the Show Opening Only radio button, but leave the with Contours checkbox unchecked, it will achieve the same result as the Hide on Plan options in ArchiCAD 9. If you choose the Show Opening Only radio button, and check the with Contours checkbox, it will achieve the same result as the Reflected Ceiling options in ArchiCAD 9. The Hide on Floor Plan radio button is a new choice: it means that Doors/Windows will not be shown on the Floor Plan at all, just as if there were no Doors/Windows in Walls. In Section, Elevation, and Interior Elevation, the Door/Window hole will be visible. Regarding the display of Cut Fills (Document > Set Model Display > Model View Options > Override Fill Display), you will notice that there is no option to set Bitmap Patterns. A bitmap display is available for on-screen display only: Bitmap or Vectorial is set globally using the Show as Vectorial Hatching option of On-Screen View Options. When you check Override Cut Fills and the Show Skin Separator Lines box, you will achieve the same result as the Separators Only option in ArchiCAD 9. If you check Override Cut Fills and click Solid Foreground, it will achieve the same result as the Solid w/o Separation Lines option in ArchiCAD 9. Also, the Show Skin Separator Lines checkbox is enabled. Check this to achieve the same result as the Solid option in ArchiCAD 9. The next area in the lower left corner is for Drafting Fills. If you check Override Drafting Fills and click the Solid Foreground option, you will achieve the same result as the Solid option in ArchiCAD 9. The next area in the upper right corner is for Cover Fills.

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Migrating an ArchiCAD 10 or 11 File

To adjust Cover Fill display, check the Override Cover Fills box and choose one of the following options: Solid Foreground: This replicates the Solid option in ArchiCAD 9. Solid Background: A new option; this creates a cover fill over the element, displayed in the background color defined for the elements cover fill. No Fill: A new option; this draws no fills at all, and displays only the contour if any. The last area is for Zone Fills and Zone Stamps. The options in this area achieve the same as the Zone Polygons Display Options and Zone Stamps fields achieved in ArchiCAD 9. Zone Stamp: Check Hide Zone Stamp to hide it. If you leave the Override Zone Fills box unchecked, this corresponds to the Cover Fill Display Option for Zone Polygons from ArchiCAD 9. To adjust Zone Fill display, check the Override Zone Fills box and choose one of the following options: No Fill: This replicates the None option in ArchiCAD 9. Solid Category: This replicates the Category Color option in ArchiCAD 9. Solid Background: This replicates the Solid Background Colored Fill option in ArchiCAD 9. Category Background: This replicates the Fill Pattern on Category option in ArchiCAD 9. Hide Background: This replicates the Fill Pattern Only option in ArchiCAD 9.

Migrating an ArchiCAD 10 or 11 File

Migration issues in this section are presented in three categories:

Note the Following

These changes in ArchiCAD function require no input from you.

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Migrating an ArchiCAD 10 or 11 File

Learn the Following

These migratory issues involve functions that now work differently, but require no input from you.

Do the Following
These migratory issues require you to check or adjust your project before or after converting it to ArchiCAD 12.

Note the Following

Interface changes and new features in ArchiCAD 12 will affect these parts of your older version files, but the conversion is seamless and requires no input from you.

ACIS Import
A new function allows you to convert AutoCAD 3D Solids, Regions and Bodies into GDL Objects during open or merge.

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. However, if you are using a DWG template file, all attributes from the template file will be saved as part of the DWG project, regardless of whether they are used or not. To purge unused attributes which originate from the template file, click the Purge all unused Attributes checkbox in the Miscellaneous tab page.

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

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content of external Drawings and internal-source Drawings which are not in updated condition is transferred to Model Space, because this content is now assigned to layers in DWG Model Space. This works if the DXF/DWG Translator Settings for Save Layout Into are set to either Paper Space with Cropped Views Content or Paper Space with Full Views Content.

Learn the Following

Due to new features in ArchiCAD 12, these parts of your older version file will work differently, but you do not have to adjust anything manually):

Default Template File Location

When installing ArchiCAD 12, the default template file is not copied to the Templates folder, but remains in the Default sub-folder in the ArchiCAD folder. This template is listed at the top of the list of choices when you create a new project. Other template files, located in the Templates folder, are listed below, and are followed by the 3 most recent template choices.

Reopen Frontmost Window Only

If your project had more than 20 windows open when you last saved it, then the next time you open the project, ArchiCAD 12 will give you the option of opening the frontmost window only.

New Names for Standard Fills

Fills formerly named Solid and 100%, 75%, etc. are now called Foreground fills. The fill formerly named Empty is now called Background Fills. All Model View Options are renamed accordingly. See also New Model View Options for Fills.

Drawing Order of Linked Elements

Earlier versions of ArchiCAD had some discrepancies between the default drawing order of linked elements (e.g. a wall and the doors/windows it contains) on screen and on the output.

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Migrating an ArchiCAD 10 or 11 File

In ArchiCAD 12, the screen representation and the output of linked elements is always consistent. To achieve this, the following changes were made in AC12: Walls and their linked doors/windows are now always drawn in one run on the screen. Consequently, on-screen display will no longer show windows placed in a wall that is obscured by another wall. To display a wall obscured by another wall, you should bring it forward by using the appropriate drawing order commands. The drawing order of associative labels is now disassociated from the labels parent element on the output. This means that, by default, elements will never cover each others associative label. (An associative label may be obscured only if you bring forward an element in the drawing order so that it covers another elements label.) Display of associative labels on outputs is now the same as on the screen.

Additional Quick Options

The Quick Options palette now includes three additional options: Change Partial Structure Display settings; Change Pen Set; Change Dimensioning Standard.

Door/Window/Object Dialog Boxes

The basic size and location parameters of objects, doors and windows are now set in the Preview and Positioning panel of their respective Settings dialog boxes, rather than in the Parameters panel.

Model View Options: Curtain Wall Options

Two new options affecting Curtain Wall display have been added to Model View Options > Options for Construction Elements: Curtain Wall Options: Full and Schematic will affect the display of Curtain Walls in the 3D and 3D Document windows only.

Advanced Redraw Options (Work Environment)

This is a new page in the Work Environment dialog box (right below More Options). These options are designed for advanced-level users or IT managers familiar with processing and memory issues. In addition to the Model Display in 2D Navigation control, it allows you to manually set the 2D Drawing Hardware Acceleration Level and to optimize Memory Usage.

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Interior Elevation Horizontal Range

Two options for defining the viewpoints horizontal range have been added to the General panel of Interior Elevation Settings: By Limit Lines and Add bounded area. In migrated projects, Interior Elevations are set to Add bounded area by default. (This corresponds to the way ArchiCAD 11 interpreted the limit line: if an unseparated area is detected next to the Limit Line, and it appears to be part of the room logically, it will also be displayed on the Interior Elevation.) By Limit Lines means that the Interior Elevation view boundary is exactly at the Limit Line and does not include any extruded bounded areas.

GDL Attributes
Some GDL object scripts include custom attributes. When you load such objects into a project, and if the Attribute definition is contained in the individual library part scripts, then the following custom attributes are now merged into the projects attribute set as follows: Fills and Line types are merged into the ArchiCAD project attributes. Material and Texture attributes are not merged.

Output Structural Grid Coordinates (.txt)

ArchiCAD 12 no longer saves projects to this file format.

Do the Following
Due to the new features in ArchiCAD 12, you must adjust these parts of your older version file to make them work smoothly:

Display of Section/Elevation Markers Set Individually (Not Model View Option)

For both Section and Elevation Markers, the Marker appearance is set in Section and Elevation Settings for each individual Section and Elevation. (Place Marker at either or both ends of the S/E line, or place one Marker in the middle.) The Section/Elevation Marker display option is no longer a Model View Option, so a given S/E Markers appearance will be uniform throughout the project, regardless of which view it is saved in.
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Migrating an ArchiCAD 10 or 11 File

When migrating an older-version file in which you used any Section/ Elevation Marker Model View Option other than As in Settings, you should adjust individual Markers as needed.

New Model View Options for Fills

The Model View Options panel, formerly called Options for Fills and Zones, is now called Override Fill Display. As in earlier versions, this panel is used to globally define the Fill Backgrounds, the display of Cut, Cover, and Drafting Fills, and the display of Zone Fills in the project. The various options have changed somewhat, but when you migrate an older-version file to ArchiCAD 12, the program will assign corresponding Model View Options to ensure that fills are displayed correctly in ArchiCAD 12. However, you should double-check the fill display in ArchiCAD 12 and make any adjustments necessary.

DXF/DWG Translator Changes in Converting ArchiCAD Fills

When saving an ArchiCAD 12 file to AutoCAD-compatible format, the results may vary from earlier version conversions. You should check these converted files and make any changes necessary. Possible Differences in Fill Conversion within ArchiCAD 12: When converting ArchiCAD fills, a new option in the DXF/DWG Translator enables you to manually set up a custom Fill Conversion table. Also, Fill types in ArchiCAD 12 are converted by default as follows: - Image: converted to a solid fill (technically a background-color hatch) - Gradient: converted to a solid fill (technically a foreground-color hatch) - Symbol: are converted into Blocks if you chose Convert all fills as Solid; they are converted into Blocks plus a Background-color Solid fill if you chose Convert Fill Backgrounds as Additional Solid Hatches

Incompatible Library Parts

If you are migrating earlier-version ArchiCAD projects, some of your library parts will be incompatible with new library parts in ArchiCAD 12. These new library parts have separate GUID numbers and therefore do not match the older parts.

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If you want to keep the old library objects, but also use the new library objects, do the following: load the AC 12 library .lcf file load the subset libraries from AC 10 and 11, as appropriate.

- For projects migrated from ArchiCAD 11, this is called the ArchiCAD 11 Migration Library and is available from the ArchiCAD 12 DVD. - For projects migrated from ArchiCAD 10, this is called the ArchiCAD 10 Subset Library, and is available from the Goodies page, accessible from the Help menu. - For projects migrated from ArchiCAD 9: certain localized versions delivered an ArchiCAD 9 Subset Library. In this case, you should load all of the following libraries: ArchiCAD 9 Subset + ArchiCAD 10 Subset + ArchiCAD 11 Migration Library. This way, the compatible old elements will be automatically replaced by AC 12 library elements. The incompatible old elements will remain in place, and will not conflict with the AC 12 objects. If you want to continue working on your project using the new objects: Load the AC 12 library .lcf file The non-compatible elements in your migrated project will be shown as Missing library parts; you must replace them one by one (and reset their parameters). The compatible elements will be automatically replaced by AC 12 library parts.

Older-Version Doors and Windows in Partial Structure Display

Doors and Windows migrated from older-version projects into ArchiCAD 12 will not be displayed properly if you use Partial Structure Display. These Door/Window objects are incompatible for the purposes of Partial Structure Display, so you should manually replace these Doors/Windows with their counterparts in ArchiCAD 12.

Hotlinked Modules Must Be Re-Saved

If your older version project contains hotlinked modules, ArchiCAD 12 cannot convert them as-is. You must first open and resave the Hotlink modules source files in ArchiCAD 12 format.
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If you open an ArchiCAD file with hotlinks to older-version source files, a warning appears with information on how to proceed. For details, see the next section: How to Migrate Projects Containing Hotlinks to ArchiCAD 12.

How to Migrate Projects Containing Hotlinks to ArchiCAD 12

When you open a project in ArchiCAD 12 which contains hotlinks to legacy source files, you will see the following warning:

Open Hotlink Manager to View Hierarchy of Project's Hotlink Sources

To get a list of all the files that are hotlinked to the current project, open the project in ArchiCAD 12. Go to Hotlink Manager (File > External Content > Hotlink Manager). The Hotlinked Modules list (in the top half of the dialog box) displays the hierarchy of modules hotlinked into the current project. The Hotlink Sources list displays the sources of the hotlinked module files together with their status.

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For a more comprehensive and printable display of the hotlinked source files, click the Show hierarchy in browser button. This will open your default internet browser in a separate window, showing the hotlinked source files in a hierarchical format, together with file locations that are hyperlinked.

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Conversion of a project with Hotlink Source files available in their original location
In this workflow, you will open the hotlinked source files one by one and save them in ArchiCAD 12. Suppose you have the following hotlinks linked into Project A:

1) Open the project (A.pln) 2) In the warning dialog which appears, choose the Open
Hotlink Manager option.

3) The Hotlink Manager contains a list of Source files.

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4) For each Source file shown as Legacy or Missing - B.pln, C.pln and

D.pln in our example - you must open the file in ArchiCAD 12, making sure to use the Launch a new instance of ArchiCAD checkbox as part of the Open process. Then save the opened file (File > Save.) We recommend that you save the files in this order: go through the hierarchy file by file from bottom to top in branch. (In our example, start with D.pln.) Note: It is possible that the opened source files contain other hotlinks that are not used in A.pln. (for example, if the module is placed on a story that is not shown in A.pln, or if B.pln contains nested modules, yet the Hotlink Manager for A.pln has checked the Skip Nested Modules box). If these nested modules are in legacy format, ArchiCAD will display a warning when they are opened. In this case, you should continue the conversion process, treating B.pln as a separate project that contains legacy hotlinks: you must save those hotlink sources in ArchiCAD 12 as described in this document - by resaving the files, locating missing sources, resaving nested legacy source files, etc. 5) In the Hotlink Manager, click the Refresh Status button. If you have successfully re-saved all the Legacy files from the Source list (as described in Step 4), then the Source list should not show any files in Legacy status.

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6) Select the files whose status is shown as Modified, and issue the
Update command.

7) Click OK.
Note: If a Hotlink Source is listed as Missing, you must locate the missing file and place it into the directory location where ArchiCAD is expecting it. Otherwise, in the upper section of Hotlink Manager (the list entitled Hotlinked Modules), select the modules that come from the Missing source and click Break Hotlink.

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