The Virtual Building™ Model and the Virtual Building™ Environment supports open communication, modifications and enhancements to the design, regardless of physical distances. Large firms in need of strong teamwork support, and small to mid-size firms working in teams or with outside consultants and freelancers, will find all the tools for smooth collaboration and document management in ArchiCAD.

CAD File Formats

Because file format compatibility is crucial when working with outside consultants, or when upgrading from another CAD system, ArchiCAD provides the functionality to ensure that no data or time is lost in the conversion process.

ArchiCAD's DXF/DWG translator supports up to AutoCAD® 2009 and accurately maps layers, pen colors, fonts and blocks. ArchiCAD can write out DXF/DWG data that contains both Paper Space and Model Space information in the same file. ArchiCAD's intelligent handling of AutoCAD Xrefs, at input and output, not only preserves the link but allows Xref administration (including linking, unlinking and binding) within ArchiCAD.

When you provide your consultants with digital files for modification, ArchiCAD's DXF/DWG Merge Engine ensures a "clean" file. User-defined rules eliminate conflicts, giving you control over how changes are merged with the Virtual Building™ model. Additionally, ArchiCAD imports and exports AutoCAD's vectorial DWF format and MicroStation's DGN.

Adobe PDF Support

Adobe’s Portable Document Format (PDF) has become the most popular digital file format for publishing and archiving the architectural documentation. ArchiCAD’s internal PDF engine supports both the export and import of PDF documents. Importing PDF documents as drawings is a great way to bring in a standard detail or manufacturer's specifications directly onto an ArchiCAD layout sheet.

IFC Support

Graphisoft has been active in the International Alliance for Interoperability (IAI) since 1996. ArchiCAD supports IFC 1.5.1, 2.0, 2x2 and 2x3 format. The principal benefit of IFCs is their object description - not only does the IFC protocol preserve the full geometric description in 3D, but it also knows its location and relationships, as well as all the properties (or parameters) of each object, Via IFC input/output ArchiCAD can communicate with a wide range of structural and energy analysis applications.