This news isn’t new. In fact if you were quick you might have noticed a post from June that temporarily mentioned some of what’s below. But I took that post down because I wanted to wait until more people could download ArchiCAD 18-at the time not enough versions were available. But then my life got hectic and I essentially paused the blog for the summer. Now it’s October and ArchiCAD 18 has made the subtle shift from the new version to the current version. I felt like I missed the window for the following blog post and it slowly slid down the queue of half-finished articles (I figured I’d resurrect it when ArchiCAD 19 debuts next year). But then while having beers with some fellow ArchiCAD users on Friday night (four of us BIM Manager types got together to talk about templates), someone told a story about a user waiting a week for ArchiCAD 18 discs to come in the mail after finally upgrading from some older version. Seriously? Ugh.

Whether you are on subscription or upgrading from any older version of ArchiCAD, there is no disc coming in the mail. There is no new hardware key coming either-unless you have an ancient 21-pin key**, are buying a new seat, or have clearly discussed a new key with your local agent and paid whatever associated fees are required.

If you are at all confused about what all that bold text means, ask your local reseller or distributor. Or comment below. And caveats: things could be special for you and your region, and this is all just my opinion and experience; I am not an official voice of anything but me.

**Seriously, as recently as 2012 I was dealing with a firm that still had 21-pin keys because they hadn’t upgraded since USB drives became standard technology. Holy Fuck. But hey, that’s the cool thing about ArchiCAD: it doesn’t matter if you are upgrading from the previous version or from some ancient version from before USB drives were a thing, Graphisoft will let you do that.

What follows is an augmentation of a post I mostly wrote back in June, 2014.

Are you ready for ArchiCAD 18? The wait is officially long over. So over. So comically over. This post is just a curtsey to those few lonely users who somehow missed all the notices that it was time to download the upgrade (or for people who just upgraded from older versions). Download ArchiCAD 18 now. Well if you are looking for this particular version:

ArchiCAD 18 USA version

or this version:

ArchiCAD 18 INT version

If neither of those versions are what you are looking for, try this:

1. Copy and paste this link: http://www.graphisoft.com/downloads/archicad/install/AC18/XYZ/
2. Change the XYZ to the three letter abbreviation for your localization. For instance for the Spanish language version, change XYZ to SPA. If your localization is ready, it’ll work. I think most localizations have been released. Most, not all. 🙁

Remember the links above are a great way to get access to the libraries of other versions…or if you are like me and just want both the USA and INT versions installed on your machine (it’s so useful for template work and research for blog posts).

All those links will also provide you access to related downloads like BIM Server, Add-Ons, Goodies, and MEP Modeler. For a master list of goodies downloads and abbreviations for all localizations, go here.

Downloading: it’s what we all do, for everything. Always assume you can download what you need. This is the second ArchiCAD version that has been released as download only (with discs having to be special ordered), so this shouldn’t be a surprise.

Finally, if you are new to ArchiCAD, I recommend getting access to all of the above via www.myarchicad.com. There you can also get training materials, and a bunch of other downloads like Tekla BIMsight, Solibri Model Viewer, and a demo of Artlantis 5. Through myarchicad.com you can also get other localizations and older versions. Here’s more on how to do that. Oh and regardless of if you are a new or old user, you should be downloading Solibri Model Viewer (and Tekla BIMsight if you are on a PC) so that you can start exploring what your models look like when you push them out as IFC files.

Remember there is no box coming in the mail, unless you request it and pay extra. If you are in the USA and just have to have a box (trust me you don’t), here’s the link. It’ll cost you $20, more if you aren’t on subscription.

Did I say that enough times? If you have paid for ArchiCAD 18, there is nothing coming in the mail. It’s all digital. And unless your localization isn’t out yet, ArchiCAD 18 is on the Internet waiting for you. I know many users also like to wait for the first Hotfix to come out before upgrading. Your wait will soon be over, if conversations on the forum are anything to go by.

Make sure to follow Shoegnome on Facebook and Twitter. If you’re not a social media person, RSS feed is also a great way to never miss anything either.

BONUS ADVICE!!!

Impromptu User Groups

Whether you use ArchiCAD or some other BIM software, you don’t have to wait for officially sanctioned meetings. If you want to get together and talk shop, just ask. With little effort we had four of us chatting for three or four hours. It was great. Odds are if you have other ArchiCAD users in your area, they are just as eager as you are to meet up and get nerdy. And if they don’t want to, they are wrong.