Archicad Education — The Complete Guide: A Free Education Licence for Full Architectural BIM
Archicad by Graphisoft is BIM software for architectural design, and its education licence is free for students, teachers and educational institutions in relevant fields. It is the full professional program — a good way to learn BIM on a tool that real offices use.
Archicad Education Licence
Graphisoft
Free education licence for Archicad — full BIM authoring for architecture, with teamwork and IFC model exchange.
Get it from the vendorWhat you get
- 3D modelling — the building model as one source for all information.
- Plans, sections and elevations — derived directly from the model.
- Quantities — lists and schedules from the same model.
- IFC — exchange models with structural and MEP consultants.
- Teamwork — through BIMcloud Basic, included in the education licence.
Who may use it, and what is limited
The licence is for students, teachers and educational institutions only, with proof of enrolment or employment. It is valid for one year and can be extended free of charge until the end of your studies. Use is educational only — commercial work requires a paid licence. All files carry an educational watermark that cannot be removed, so they must not be used on real projects.
Related tools
An open BIM alternative with no licence limits — Bonsai. A student licence for another BIM program — Allplan Student. For viewing IFC models — BIMvision.
Bonsai (BlenderBIM)
IfcOpenShell
Native IFC editing inside Blender — open-source BIM.
Get it from the vendor
ALLPLAN & FRILO Student Version
ALLPLAN (Nemetschek Group)
Free student version of ALLPLAN for BIM in civil engineering and architecture, bundled with FRILO for structural member design.
Get it from the vendor
FreeCAD
FreeCAD Project
Open-source parametric 3D modeller with workbenches for solid modelling, FEM, drafting and BIM.
Get it from the vendor
BIMvision
Datacomp
A free IFC viewer — open a BIM model, measure, section and take off quantities, without a licence.
Get it from the vendorThe bottom line
For an architecture student, free Archicad is an excellent chance to learn professional BIM. The moment you work for pay, you need a commercial licence.