Archicad versions supported: Archicad 27, 28, 29

Complete your reviews faster, by linking Graphisoft® Archicad® with Drawboard Projects.

Using this Add-On, you can publish layouts from Archicad into Projects and make them available for collaborative review or approval. There's no longer a need to print sheets, upload PDFs onto shared drives, worry about version control, send out file attachments, or wonder how you'll track and collate all the feedback you receive.

The Drawboard Projects Archicad Add-On allows you to:

• Publish your Publisher Sets into Projects while preserving your layout metadata from Archicad (sheet title, number and order)
• Send layouts out for review without leaving Archicad, and without your reviewers needing a Graphisoft license
• Bring the markups back into Archicad as native Issues, ready to assign and close out in Issue Manager
• Once inside Projects, add markups, gather timely feedback from the right people, and resolve issues with team members for traceable feedback

Installing the Add-On

Minimum requirements: Archicad 27 or later on macOS, and a Drawboard Projects account on a Team, Growth or Enterprise plan.

Each build of the Add-On is compiled against one version of the Archicad API, so you need the file that matches your version of Archicad. A build made for one version will not load in another. To check which version you are running, go to Help > About Archicad on Windows, or Archicad > About Archicad on macOS.

Note: Close Archicad before you install. The Add-On is only picked up when Archicad starts.

Installing on macOS

To install the Add-On on macOS:

1. Download the .zip file for your version of Archicad and extract it
2. Close Archicad
3. Copy the .bundle file into your Archicad Add-Ons folder:
   • macOS: /Applications/Graphisoft/Archicad 29/Add-Ons/
4. Open Archicad. The Add-On loads automatically

Tip: Substitute your own version number in the folder path.

Loading the Add-On with the Add-On Manager

You can also load the Add-On from a folder of your own choosing, which is useful if you do not have permission to write to the Archicad program folder.

1. Extract the downloaded file to a folder you can reach, such as your Documents folder
2. Open Archicad and go to Options > Add-On Manager
3. Open the Edit List of Available Add-Ons tab
4. Click Add, browse to the file, and confirm
5. Close Archicad and open it again

Checking that the Add-On loaded

Go to Options > Add-On Manager and look under Available Add-Ons. Drawboard Projects should be listed and ticked. If you see a warning sign next to it, Archicad has found the file but could not load it. See Troubleshooting below.

Publishing layouts from Archicad to Projects

To publish layouts from an Archicad project:

1. Open Archicad and open the project containing the layouts you want to publish

2. Go to File > Interoperability and select Drawboard Connection...

   Tip: Please save your current Archicad project before using this Add-On

3. Log in with your Drawboard Projects username and password. If you don't have one yet, register for a free trial at projects.drawboard.com/register

4. Select an existing project to publish layouts to, or create a new project. Search project titles and descriptions to quickly find the project you're looking for

   Tip: You can only publish layouts to projects where your account has Super Collaborator or higher permissions. If the project is grey and listed under the heading "Permission Required", you'll need to contact a project admin to ask for access

5. Select the Publisher Set you want to publish, then select which layouts within it to send to Projects
6. Edit the sheet name, number and revision as required. Anything you enter here will only be visible inside Projects and won't affect the layouts themselves within Archicad
   • Publishing a drawing with a drawing number that already exists in Projects and a new revision will be treated as a "supersede" operation, and the existing revision in Projects will be locked to prevent any further mark up
   • It's not possible to publish a drawing with a drawing number that already exists in Projects and a revision that also already exists. The Add-On will warn you, so you can change the revision

7. The Add-On will attempt to automatically calculate the page size of each layout. If you wish to override this for any layout, select another size from the dropdown for that layout. Be aware that the drawing will be "zoomed to fit", which may affect the drawing scale

   Tip: A popup prompt will allow you to quickly bulk apply any Revision or Page Size changes

8. Click the Publish sheets button
9. The upload will now begin. Do not close the window
10. Once all sheets are completed and they are marked as "Done", you may close the Drawboard Projects Add-On
11. Log in to Drawboard Projects (projects.drawboard.com/login) and all of your sheets will appear under the Drawings tab in the project you selected

Bringing markups back into Archicad

Once your reviewers have marked up the drawings in Projects, you can pull their feedback back into Archicad as native Issues.

1. Open Archicad and open the project you published the layouts from
2. Go to File > Interoperability and select Drawboard Connection...
3. Select the correct Projects project, then select the drawings you want to bring markups back from
4. Click Import. Each markup lands on the matching layout with its text attached
5. Open Issue Manager to assign, comment on and close out the imported Issues

Removing the Add-On

• macOS: delete the .bundle file from your Archicad Add-Ons folder

Close Archicad and open it again. Sheets you have already published to Drawboard Projects are not affected.

Troubleshooting

A warning sign appears next to the Add-On in the Add-On Manager

Archicad has found the file but could not load it. Check two things, in this order:

1. The build matches your version of Archicad. Compare it against the table above
2. You do not have two copies loaded from two different folders. Remove the one you are not using

The Drawboard Connection menu does not appear

You have most likely installed the Add-On into a different version of Archicad. Check Help > About Archicad for the version you actually opened, then confirm the Add-On is in that version's Add-Ons folder.

Still stuck

Create a support ticket using the button above and include your Archicad version and a screenshot of your Add-On Manager.

Notes for IT and BIM managers

• Accounts: users log in with their existing Drawboard Projects account. There are no separate license keys to distribute or track

Frequently Asked Questions

Do my reviewers need Archicad?

No. Consultants, clients and site teams review and mark up in Drawboard Projects in their browser. They don't need a Graphisoft license or any BIM software.

Does the Add-On cost anything?

No. The Add-On is a free download. You need a Drawboard Projects account on a Team, Growth or Enterprise plan to publish layouts to a workspace.

I run more than one version of Archicad. Can I install the Add-On in both?

Yes. Install the matching build into each version's Add-Ons folder. They will run side by side and share one Drawboard Projects log in.

What happens when I upgrade Archicad?

Install the build for your new version of Archicad. Your existing projects, sheets and issues in Drawboard Projects are not affected.

How do I switch to another Projects user account?

If you need to log in using a different Projects user account in order to publish layouts into different projects, open the Add-On and then on the Select or create new project screen click the Change Account button in the bottom left corner.

Why can't I publish layouts to some projects?

If you find yourself needing to publish layouts into a project where you're not a Super Collaborator, you'll need to get someone to add you from within Projects. If you know who that is, great! Go talk to them! If you don't, then open Projects, navigate to the relevant project and go to the Team tab to find out who the project admins are, so you can contact one of them.

Alternatively, use the Change Account button in the bottom left corner to log in using an account that does have Collaborator permission on your desired project.

What if I can't see the project I need in the list?

First check to see if it's shown further down the list of projects in the "Permission Required" group. If it is, follow the steps in the Why can't I publish layouts to some projects? FAQ above.

If the project you need to publish layouts to isn't in the list at all, then you may not be a member of that project, and you'll have to ask a project admin to invite you.