Wishes
Post your wishes about Graphisoft products: Archicad, BIMx, BIMcloud, and DDScad.

Mac version needs a modern interface

Erich
Contributor
While an updated interface would be very nice to have, particularly the ability to stop mac windows from disappearing beneath tool pallets, there are many other issues I would like to see addressed first. As with many things, there is a limited amount of resources to pass around.

Just my two cents....
Erich

AC 19 6006 & AC 20
Mac OS 10.11.5
15" Retina MacBook Pro 2.6
27" iMac Retina 5K
25 REPLIES 25
Karl Ottenstein
Moderator
abimpson wrote:
I am an Architecture student who has recently started trying to use ArchiCAD on my iMac. The first thing I noticed is that the interface seems very old fashioned - very few current applications for the mac continue to use floating tool palettes, it was the old mac way, and isn't particularly user-friendly. From simple programs like Apple's iWork, with the main features now integrated into the title bar, to more advanced software like Adobe's Creative Suite, most of the main features have been integrated into a single window.
Adobe have been particularly successful with their recent CS4 and the new "Application Frame" feature!
Surely, you are joking here? If you are trying to learn ArchiCAD, the lack of a tabbed 'Application Frame' as shown in your screenshot (which is basically what Microsoft Windows has always done) should not hinder your work. If anything, AC's free windows are a boon on OS X machines, because of Expose.

To call the interface of floating palettes and windows 'old fashioned', when Adobe CS3 uses exactly the same concepts seems disingenuous. Sure, CS4 is 'new'... but are you then saying that anything that is older than 3 months is now 'old fashioned'?

There are some minor glitches with the UI (hidden windows/palettes, some palettes not remembering position and visibility in the Work Environment) - but I would hardly call the interface out of touch with other Mac apps nor hindering productivity.

Generally, we're about productivity more than being groovy here...but perhaps you can give more reasons why ArchiCAD is held back on both counts?

Cheers,
Karl
One of the forum moderators
AC 27 USA and earlier   •   macOS Ventura 13.6.6, MacBook Pro M2 Max 12CPU/30GPU cores, 32GB
Dwight
Newcomer
It is horrifying to hear that they have not started you off with any idea of how building views integrate and how error correction and data extraction are essential to competently depicting structures.

It seems fundamental, but maybe it is too much at once for a student to fly a loop-the-loop while getting the feel of the ailerons and throttle.

Just the same, I cynically imagine your instructors as red wine drinking, soft cheese eating, beret wearing winkers who spend too much time concerned with discussing "la façade" late at night instead of the things that really determine architecture.
Dwight Atkinson
Dwight
Newcomer
As to your interface wishes:

Like we all haven't whined about the interface for years, asking for whatever UI trick we like - from Adobe or Maya or whatever.

Like, today, if you maximize the floor plan and it goes behind the palettes, so what? You would rarely print this window and it is merely a metaphysical boundary - you constrain a basic print with the marquee, or for more elaborate output, the layout book.

You are aware that the environment CAN be customized by saving the Work Environment to preserve any window arrangement you might like, so that if something got covered up, you could relocate the offending box and keep it in the new location?
Dwight Atkinson
Karl Ottenstein
Moderator
Agree with all ... but to add specifically: if maximizing a window (plan, section, 3D, etc) causes it to tuck itself behind any palettes - then it means that you do not have the palettes docked to each other.

As you move the Info Box, Tool Box, etc around, you'll notice that they do snap to each other. If they are not snapped, then AC is not very smart about recognizing the space in between as the area that you want your maximized work window to fit into. When snapped, it does the right thing.

Further, as I alluded and Dwight states: look into Options > Work Environment to set up your palettes with the content that you want, in the order you want - and to memorize their locations on screen. As with most other design software, you can - and should - memorize at least one palette layout (which includes the position of your working windows).

I'm sorry to hear that architectural education in the UK may be as ineffective as it appears to be in the US - where the concept of teaching anything practical (even if it benefits coursework in the degree program) such as BIM does not fit into the alloted credit hours and students are expected to learn on their own ... or make up for the deficiencies during their subsequent internships. Try to get a group of like-minded students together to form an ArchiCAD support group if possible...

Cheers,
Karl
One of the forum moderators
AC 27 USA and earlier   •   macOS Ventura 13.6.6, MacBook Pro M2 Max 12CPU/30GPU cores, 32GB
Rob
Graphisoft
Graphisoft
While I completely agree with a need of revamping AC UI on mac I have my doubts in regards to doing so by simply 'copying' Windows approach.

Floating palettes are not bad in principal however the major problem (at least in my opinion) becomes obvious when we have to face a clutter of palettes representing each individual tool. Also, I have found the status bar (at the very bottom of AC UI) absolutely idiotic. Why would you design something like this for god sake? I know the answer probably (to be fair) - GS tried to make the UI as much coherent as they could for both platforms. But again (unfortunately) it is so obvious that UI is pushed in Win-to-Mac direction rather than in a way of 'pick the best one' features (and that would probably mean to adopt the complete mac interface for both - Win users do not get agitated here ).
One more thing though. I do not think that creating a completely brand new UI (fundamentally distant to both platforms) would do the job. I reckon that coherency of OS standard UI elements is crucial for overall clarity especially in case of newcomers. Secondly, code-wise it is much easier to use and maintain such UI as it refers to well-tested and proven OS native libraries.

As an example I quite enjoy current iWorks UI on Leopard:
1. Inspector palette - ONE 'placeholder' floating palette with tabbed UI allowing for custom organisation of individual tool palettes (aka Photoshop)
2. I really miss Leopard's top toolbar where you can choose and place an icon from pop-down menu. However it could be a bit tricky since AC operates in a multi-window environment (as oppose to a simple text editor).
::rk
Dwight
Newcomer
Users interested in modern interfaces should review demo copies of:

Maya
Lightwave,
Modo and
Cinema 4D

for compact, efficient interfaces that combine all sorts of logic that would improve Archicad for new users while casting the geezers into despair.
Dwight Atkinson
Rob
Graphisoft
Graphisoft
right, but I was rather after a concept shown on my screenshot. I am in a desperate need of 'work-space' and even a bigger screen has not been working for me. At the moment I have all tools and commands on one floating palette (a bit cluttered due to the current UI limitations) but if I could have other (used often) palettes such as T&R, Element Info, Fav's, Profile Manager etc there that would hit my spot.

Edited:
just a thought - the pet palette commands could be a part of this 'universal' palette too. Apparently visible in editing mode only.
scshot.jpg
::rk
Rick Thompson
Expert
I like the floating windows. I would be clicking tabs all day long rather than just looking at the screen, but.. two displays are a must IMHO. This is a screen shot right now, just for humor... I like as many pallets open as I can, and just seeing Windows running at the same time is just weird.
Rick Thompson
Mac Sonoma AC 26
http://www.thompsonplans.com
Mac M2 studio w/ display
Anonymous
Not applicable
One BIG advantage to floating windows is when using multiple monitors.