Earlier this month, design and BIM software provider Graphisoft announced the release of their new Archicad AI Visualizer tool, which is powered by Stable Diffusion. In their release of the news, Graphisoft says of the AI-driven image generation tool, “Archicad AI Visualizer creates detailed 3D visualizations during the early design stages thanks to a simple user interface optimized for architecture and interior design.”
The tool was built on Graphisoft’s Adaptive Hybrid Framework, which was announced last year. “Our Adaptive Hybrid Framework approach lets us quickly and effectively integrate innovative technologies like the AI Visualizer into our tech stack. This is just the first example of how we can integrate it into new capabilities inside our software,” said Zsolt Kerecsen, Vice President of Software Success at Graphisoft, in a statement. “With many new projects underway, Graphisoft customers can expect to leverage additional AI-enabled solutions to do what they do best – design great buildings.”
To access Archicad AI Visualizer, users need a valid Archicad 27 license and NVIDIA GPUs or Apple Silicon chips.
The process for creating and iterating a model using Archicad AI Visualizer starts with creating a basic concept model in Archicad, off of which the rest of the work will be based. Once that model is created, users add in a text prompt – i.e. “a modern office with wood surfaces” – to get a refined model. From there, the model can continue to be refined with additional prompts, all without creating detailed models for each iteration. Since source images are stored on users’ computers, Intellectual Property rights are fully protected.
This is an early version of the way we are going to see AI, and particularly generative AI, utilized in the design process, and Graphisoft acknowledges that these are the early stages. As such, they’ll be looking for feedback from architects and other users as they start to use the tool. “The buzz around AI breakthroughs has shaken up the tech industry as a whole, with the promise of enabling increased creativity,” said Márton Kiss, Vice President of Product Success at Graphisoft. “We want this tool to be tested in the real world by real users where they need it most — early in the design process when exploring designs and communicating with clients."
The AI Visualizer will be available for Nemetschek Group brands Allplan and Vectorworks in the coming months as well, per the company’s announcement.
“By integrating AI into our software production processes – including localizations — we can better serve our customers and deliver our software faster and in higher quality,” says Kerecsen.
