1. The Elevation Magic The star of the show in v19 was, without question, the Cadimage Elevation tool. Native ArchiCAD 19 elevations were fine... until you had to draw a brick soldier course, a complex stone lintel, or parametric cladding panels. CADimage let you draw 2D elevation details that actually looked like architecture, not vector soup. The "Drag and Drop" library of parametric objects (windows, louvers, vents) was so intuitive that it made the native Object tool feel like a DOS program.
2. The Door & Window Superiority Complex Let’s be honest: ArchiCAD 19’s stock windows were ugly. CADimage’s Door and Window tools weren't just prettier; they behaved. You could get a sliding patio door with a transom, side lites, and realistic 3D hardware without diving into the GDL labyrinth. The scheduling was robust, and the 2D linework on output looked like a traditional architectural drawing—heavy lineweights where you wanted them, light where you didn’t.
3. The "Stair" That Didn't Suck ArchiCAD 19’s native stair tool was famously clunky. CADimage’s stair tool allowed for winders and landings that didn't require a geometry degree to fix. It was a lifesaver for residential multi-story projects. CADimage Tools Plugins For Archicad 19
While the suite included numerous extensions, three specific tools defined the workflow improvements for Archicad 19 users:
By 2015, ArchiCAD had matured into a robust BIM authoring tool, but it had notable gaps in "front-end" documentation and object automation. Out-of-the-box, ArchiCAD 19 excelled at walls, slabs, and sections, but struggled with: Enter CADimage Tools
Enter CADimage Tools. Unlike generic add-ons, CADimage was developed by practicing architects in New Zealand. Their philosophy was simple: eliminate repetitive drafting tasks and embed local building standards into parametric objects.
For ArchiCAD 19 users, the CADimage suite acted as a "missing manual" of features that Graphisoft would only implement natively years later. ArchiCAD’s native toolset covered most core modeling and
ArchiCAD’s native toolset covered most core modeling and documentation needs, but CADimage Tools and similar plugins targeted the “thin slices” of productivity where manual effort remained high. Compared with full-featured automation frameworks or bespoke scripting, CADimage Tools offered an accessible, lower-cost option delivering immediate workflow gains without extensive development effort. Larger firms with bespoke standards sometimes combined such plugins with custom GDL objects, Python scripts, or other commercial BIM management tools.
Before delving into the specific plugins, it is crucial to understand the philosophy behind CADimage. Unlike generic add-ons that add superficial features, CADimage Tools were developed by practicing architects for architects. The suite focuses on solving real-world, repetitive drafting and modeling problems that ArchiCAD’s native tools either handled clumsily or not at all. For ArchiCAD 19, which introduced improvements to the surface catalog and CineRender engine, CADimage Tools provided the necessary “finishing” layer that allowed professionals to produce construction documents with greater speed and accuracy.